FOND DU LAC, Wis (WYATT BAUMEYER). \u2014 With runners on first and second and no one out and trailing 2-0 in the sixth inning, Lakeshore Chinooks center fielder Brody Rasmussen stepped to the plate in a pivotal situation on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Rasmussen timed up a fastball and lined a bases-clearing double into right-center field, igniting a Chinooks’ comeback and a 4-2 victory over the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders.<\/p>\n
“I was trying to slow my breath down and see good pitches, and it paid off,” Rasmussen said.<\/p>\n
Rasmussen said he’d gotten beaten in his previous at-bat and had to be on time hunting for his pitch.<\/p>\n
“I got my pitch, I was gonna get it, and that’s exactly what happened,” Rasmussen said.<\/p>\n
The outfielder from the University of Maine finished the day 1-3, yet hit the ball well all afternoon and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch later in the sixth inning.<\/p>\n
“Brody’s [Rasmussen] just a real player,” Chinooks’ manager Mikel Moreno said.<\/p>\n
Moreno said Rasmussen is at his best when he’s taking things pitch-by-pitch, and the outfielder did so on Sunday in a huge way.<\/p>\n
With Lakeshore taking a 3-2 lead in the sixth, starting pitcher Dominic Monaco qualified for the win after a dominant performance.<\/p>\n
The left-hander pitched five innings of two-run, one earned, baseball, competing on every single pitch in his first start as a Chinook.<\/p>\n
“I went out there with confidence, which was a lot different from what I did in college,” Monaco said.<\/p>\n
Monaco allowed just a single hit, while striking out five Dock Spiders, and walked four, but those four free passes came on competitive pitches that didn’t get swings.<\/p>\n
“When I noticed those walks, I knew they weren’t bad misses,” Monaco said.<\/p>\n
Monaco flashed his 91-mile-per-hour fastball, flashing a powerful offspeed combination as well that kept Fond du Lac at bay.<\/p>\n
The only real trouble the lefty ran into came in the fifth inning on an error by Chinooks’ first baseman Grant Gray, who double-clutched and threw away a potential inning-ending double-play ball to second base intended for shortstop David Hogg.<\/p>\n
Monaco said he remained calm after the run-scoring error, trusting his defense to make plays behind him.<\/p>\n
“I knew they were gonna back me up,” Monaco said.<\/p>\n
Moreno called Monaco’s performance unbelievable and credited the come-from-behind victory to his starting pitcher’s effort.<\/p>\n
“That was as good as it gets for us,” Moreno said.<\/p>\n
Not only did Monaco dominate the Dock Spiders, but his replacement, Diego Garcia, secured the victory in relief.<\/p>\n
The right-hander struck out three and allowed two singles over four scoreless innings while showing off a sharp breaking ball that fooled hitters left and right.<\/p>\n
“Diego [Garcia] came in and was lights out,” Moreno said.<\/p>\n
With Garcia closing the game out, the Chinooks used just two pitchers on Sunday, something Moreno said keeps the pitching staff from being “overworked.”<\/p>\n
“It sets up good for tomorrow and the next day, and that triccle down effect,” Moreno said. “The last thing I want is a player to leave here overworked.”<\/p>\n
Lost in the 4-2 final score was how the Chinooks manufactured their fourth run.<\/p>\n
With runners on the corners and two outs in the ninth inning and catcher Broc Parmer up, the Chinooks attempted a run-down play to score the runner Gray from third base.<\/p>\n
As Dock Spiders’ catcher Nate McHugh threw down as Chinooks’ second baseman Bubba Heidler got himself into a run-down between first and second base, allowing for Gray to score a major insurance run.<\/p>\n
Moreno said the plan was to draw a throw from Fond du Lac’s catcher to create the run-down situation.<\/p>\n
Gray said his job at third was to wait for Dock Spiders’ first baseman James Hankerson to have the baseball before breaking for home.<\/p>\n
The Chinooks return home to Moonlight Graham Field 4-2 and 3-1 on the road trip, beginning a home and away series against the Madison Mallards Monday at 6:35 p.m. CDT.<\/p>\n
Right-hander Nate Gray is expected to start for the Chinooks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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