MADISON, Wis (WYATT BAUMEYER).\u00a0 \u2014 With two outs in the seventh inning, clinging to a 4-3 lead, Lakeshore Chinooks\u2019 left-hander Logan Grubb appeared to be in control Friday night.<\/p>\n
Grubb recorded two quick outs on lazy fly balls, overpowering hitters with his 93-mile-per-hour fastball. All that stood in the left-hander\u2019s way was the top of the Madison Mallards lineup, and one of the Northwoods League\u2019s top offensive units made Grubb pay.<\/p>\n
After those first two outs, the Mallards had eight straight hitters reach base, including three hits and three hit-by-pitches. Grubb, who showed no signs of trouble, lost his command, walking two and hitting two Mallards in just \u2154 of an inning.<\/p>\n
The 6027 fans in attendance at Warner Park made sure Grubb felt their presence as the lefty departed to a fiery roar of the crowd, and right-hander Logan Schulfer entered, inheriting a bases-loaded situation.<\/p>\n
Schulfer preceded two to allow all three inherited runners to score, capping off a seven-run seventh inning for Madison and a 10-6 victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s that one inning that comes back and gets us because we are not competitive,\u201d Chinooks\u2019 manager Mikel Moreno said.<\/p>\n
Moreno said his pitchers must execute early in the count to succeed, and Friday proved that true.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important pitch in baseball is a first-pitch strike,\u201d Moreno said.<\/p>\n
Outside of the disastrous seventh, the Chinooks found themselves in the game as they battled toe-to-toe with one of the league leaders in ERA.<\/p>\n
Left-hander Isaac Milburn \u2014 who no-hit the Green Bay Rockers in his last start on June 21 \u2014 failed to complete six innings, as Lakeshore had the dominant starter on the ropes throughout the game.<\/p>\n
After facing Milburn on June 15 and throwing eight innings of one-run ball, the Chinooks nearly knocked the lefty out of the game in the fifth inning.<\/p>\n
With runners on first and second, no one out, and the top of the order looming \u2014 right fielder Nate Gray and catcher Jack Kleveno each singled to begin the inning \u2014 third baseman Beckett Zavorek stepped into the box as the Chinooks held a slim 2-1 lead.<\/p>\n
Zavorek, who, if qualified, would be tied for first in the Great Lakes Division for batting average, bunted the first pitch he saw up the third base line to advance the runners into scoring position.<\/p>\n
Now, with runners on second and third with one out, the Chinooks looked to cash in some much-needed insurance with shortstop David Hogg due up; however, Hogg and designated hitter Tyler Preece both struck out swinging, stranding two in scoring position with less than two outs.<\/p>\n
Moreno said the Chinooks\u2019 failure to score those two runs marked a turning point in the game, as Madison retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnytime you have runners in scoring position and less than two outs and you can\u2019t get them in, that\u2019s a momentum shift for the other team,\u201d Moreno said.<\/p>\n
In total, the Chinooks left seven on base, including those two in the fifth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve got to do a better job of having better at-bats with guys in scoring positions,\u201d Moreno said.<\/p>\n
Lost in Friday night\u2019s action was the effort of Kleveno, who finished his 2-3 night with a two-RBI single that gave Lakeshore a 4-3 lead in the sixth, and right-hander Brian Crooms, who tossed a scoreless sixth in relief of Chinooks\u2019 starter Chance Covert.<\/p>\n
Covert \u2014 who faced Madison on June 15 and allowed five runs in four innings \u2014 went five strong innings, allowing three runs on two home runs.<\/p>\n
However, Moreno said he felt encouraged by the left-hander’s progress on the mound Friday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s getting better every time he goes out,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cHe did a good job mixing his stuff, and he\u2019s competing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lakeshore returns to Moonlight Graham Field on Saturday, beginning a five-game homestand and the second half of a home-and-away series vs. the Mallards.<\/p>\n
Right-hander Nate Ciemny is expected to start for the Chinooks with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CDT.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MADISON, Wis (WYATT BAUMEYER).\u00a0 \u2014 With two outs in the seventh inning, clinging to a 4-3 lead, Lakeshore Chinooks\u2019 left-hander […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":18162,"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-18161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-team-news"],"yoast_head":"\n