'Nooks Drop Game 1 of Doubleheader
July 9, 2025 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Lakeshore Chinooks News Release
GREEN BAY, Wis (WYATT BAUMEYER). - After escaping trouble for multiple innings, Lakeshore Chinooks' right-hander Brandin Crawford ran into an impossible situation on Wednesday afternoon.
A leadoff single by Green Bay Rockers' designated hitter Caleb Daniel, followed by consecutive walks, placed the right-hander into a bases-loaded no-out jam in the sixth inning.
Facing a heightened pitch count, Crawford walked five Rockers and struggled with his command, Manager Mikel Moreno called upon left-hander Bobby Perebzak, inheriting a less-than-desirable scenario in a 3-3 tie.
The left-hander went to work on Rockers' third baseman Eric Jeon, and induced a sacrifice fly, scoring the go-ahead run. A once-impossible situation to escape seemed more probable with runners on the corners and one out-a ground ball would most likely end the inning.
However, the wheels soon fell off the bus, as Perebzak lost his command, walking two and allowing three further runs. The Chinooks failed to overcome that four-run sixth, ultimately losing 10-3 in a challenging first game of a split doubleheader.
Chinooks' pitching coach Aidan Wojciehowski said his pitchers mentally struggled in Wednesday's game 1 loss.
"Baseball is a challenging game, and if you make it more challenging by worrying about things you cannot control, it gets really difficult," Wojciehowski said.
Wojciehowski said his pitchers must focus on their current situation and not let adversity get the best of them.
"We let negative stuff affect how we threw our next pitch," Wojciehowski said. "It doesn't matter what happened the pitch before, you must be locked in for the next pitch."
Wojciehowski said both his pitchers faced challenging situations, yet called those situations an opportunity to perform.
"It's an opportunity to learn and grow," Wojciehowski said. "The next time you're in that situation, you have more experience."
Despite failing to escape the sixth, Wojciehowski said Perebzak saved a "tired" bullpen by pitching four innings in relief of Crawford.
"He went out there and grinded," Wojciechowski said. "He got the job done, saving the bullpen for next week."
On the offensive side, the Chinooks had early momentum, scoring twice in the second inning.
With two outs and no one on base, Chinooks' second baseman Danny Inzunza reached on a double and later scored after a wild pitch and an errant throw to third that went into left field by Rockers' catcher Brayden Buchanan.
Lakeshore added a second run on an RBI single by catcher Jack Kleveno. Kleveno finished Wednesday's first game reaching in all four of his plate appearances.
"I was trying to stick to my approach and hit a ball hard somewhere," Kleveno said.
Kleveno said he was hunting for his pitch on the outer half of the strike zone, and didn't give in when that pitch wasn't there, as shown by his three walks.
As far as helping his struggling pitchers, Kleveno said he tried to keep them calm in turbulent times, not wanting to exacerbate any situation.
"I tell them [the pitchers] to get back to what they're doing and stick to their plan," Kleveno said.
Lakeshore goes for the doubleheader split Wednesday night at 6:35 CDT.
Right-hander Nate Ciemny is expected to start.
Northwoods League Stories from July 9, 2025
- Express Split Doubleheader with Hot Tots - Eau Claire Express
- Dock Spiders Sweep the Rafters - Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
- Stingers Split Doubleheader in Mankato - Willmar Stingers
- Schlotterback Double Seals Third Walk-Off Win over Madison - Wausau Woodchucks
- Dominant Zach Serup Pitching Performance Anchors Honkers in 9-1 Victory over Bismarck. - Rochester Honkers
- Duluth Huskies Split Doubleheader against Thunder Bay - Duluth Huskies
- Rivets Defeat the Growlers, Snap Five Game Losing Streak - Rockford Rivets
- Spitters Salvage Series Finale with 4-1 Win - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Rogers Homers, But Madison Mallards Fall in Close Game - Madison Mallards
- Rockers Sweep Doubleheader - Green Bay Rockers
- Growlers Pitching Struggles, Fall to Rivets 10-6 - Kalamazoo Growlers
- 'Nooks Drop Game 1 of Doubleheader - Lakeshore Chinooks
- St. Cloud Rox Alum Alex Carrillo Is the 400th NWL Alum to Debut in MLB - Northwoods
- Three Growlers Named Northwoods League All-Stars - Kalamazoo Growlers
- Loggers Drop Game 2 of Day-Night DH, Fall to Bucks 15-6 - La Crosse Loggers
- Green Bay Returns to Capital Credit Union Park After Two Walk-Off Losses in Fond du Lac - Green Bay Rockers
- Rolison Rolls to Second Win, Huskies Sweep Big Sticks by 9-3 Score - Duluth Huskies
- Mattingly Leads Express to Series Sweep with 8-3 Win - Eau Claire Express
- MoonDogs Swept by the Stingers - Mankato MoonDogs
- Big Sticks Get Swept on the Road against Duluth in Three Games - Badlands Big Sticks
- 'Nooks Lose Back-And-Forth Battle on Walk-Off - Lakeshore Chinooks
- Dock Spiders with a Double Walk-Off Night against the Rockers - Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
- Jordy Lopez Walk-Off Single Seals Madison Mallards Win - Madison Mallards
- Honkers Walk It off in Grand Slam Fashion with a 14-11 Win - Rochester Honkers
- Woodchucks Win Third Straight, Sweep Series over Wisconsin Rapids - Wausau Woodchucks
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
