MEQUON, Wis (WYATT BAUMEYER). \u2014 From the very first pitch, Lakeshore Chinooks\u2019 second baseman Beckett Zavorek took over Friday\u2019s series finale against the Wausau Woodchucks.<\/p>\n
The rising sophomore at Arizona State leaned on Woodchuck starter Kegan Jirschele\u2019s first pitch and lined it out for a leadoff home run, his first of the season. At the top of the Chinooks\u2019 order, Zavorek went 3-5, fueling a 13-hit effort en route to a 7-5 win over Wausau.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just had a clear mind when I was going to hit. I didn\u2019t swing it the way I wanted to yesterday [Thursday], but I found a way to flush it and move on to the next day,\u201d Zavorek said.<\/p>\n
Zavorek pointed to his 1-4 game Thursday evening \u2013 subpar for his standards \u2013 to reset and bounce back.<\/p>\n
When Zavorek wasn\u2019t the backbone of the Chinooks\u2019 much-improved offense, the budding star found himself in the thick of things on defense, making multiple web-gem catches, such as an over-the-shoulder circus catch in the fifth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like having a little fun and showing off a bit, I love that,\u201d Zavorek said of his flashy playstyle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose [plays] are things I work on all the time,\u201d Zavorek said. \u201cWhen the situation comes, it\u2019s not anything out of the ordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zavorek said he expects himself to make those highlight-esque plays, yet he isn\u2019t immune to being human.<\/p>\n
The second baseman committed an error on a routine play in the third but cleaned things up on a 6-4-3 double play started by shortstop David Hogg.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a very talented young man,\u201d manager Mikel Moreno said. \u201cIt\u2019s really good to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the flip side, Chinooks\u2019 starting pitcher Chance Covert greatly benefited from Zavorek’s heroics.<\/p>\n
The left-hander made his third start for Lakeshore Friday and built off his previous two appearances, going six innings and allowing three runs on a single three-run home run in the second.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it was really about dominating the strike zone,\u201d Covert said. \u201cI was able to throw all my pitches for strikes and take it one inning at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Besides laboring through that 26-pitch second inning, the southpaw threw no more than 15 pitches in an inning Friday, working very efficiently in the strike zone.<\/p>\n
Covert\u2019s six strikeouts came on multiple different pitches, ranging from curveballs to fastballs, a sign the lefty had his best stuff Friday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s gotten progressively better each time,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cWait till you see him in three or four weeks, he\u2019s gonna be lights out, it\u2019s going to be really fun to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Covert\u2019s 82-pitch quality start came despite the lefty not pitching all spring for the University of Texas.\u00a0 Moreno said he expected Covert\u2019s rust to wear off over time, and the Chinook faithful saw it firsthand Friday night.<\/p>\n
Although Zavorek and Covert made the memorable plays Friday night, right fielder Tyler Preece delivered a clutch two-out single in the sixth inning, extending the lead to 7-4 at the time.<\/p>\n
Preece\u2019s .376 average ranks 6th in the Northwoods League and 2nd on the team to Zavorek, who doesn\u2019t have enough at-bats to qualify. Preece also ranks second in hit-by-pitches but couldn’t care less.<\/p>\n
Another aspect that flew under the radar on Friday happened to be the Chinooks\u2019 bullpen.<\/p>\n
Outside of allowing two runs in the seventh, Lakeshore slammed the door with right-hander Zander Bretza collecting the save in a stress-free 1-2-3 ninth inning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we get pitching performances like we did yesterday [Thursday] and today [Friday], we\u2019ll be more competitive,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cIt all comes down to pitching.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lakeshore finishes its short homestand 2-2 against Wausau and begins a four-game road trip in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. The Chinooks have yet to name a starting pitcher for Saturday.<\/p>\n
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MEQUON, Wis (WYATT BAUMEYER). \u2014 From the very first pitch, Lakeshore Chinooks\u2019 second baseman Beckett Zavorek took over Friday\u2019s series […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":18128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-team-news"],"yoast_head":"\n