Green Bay aims for series split Friday night at Wisconsin Rapids
Ashwaubenon, Wis.- Despite a strong start offensively, the Green Bay Rockers fell to the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 9-4 Thursday night at Capital Credit Union Park, and will now look to split the two-game series with the Rafters Friday night at Witter Field.
Led by two four-run innings for the Rafters, the Rockers could not mount a comeback in the late innings at home, as Wisconsin Rapids picked up their first win over Green Bay this season in the third meeting between the two teams.
It was Wisconsin Rapids who took the early lead in the first on an RBI single, giving themselves a 1-0 lead through an inning of play after the Rockers went scoreless in the bottom of the frame.
Green Bay however responded in the bottom of the second following a three-run homer from AJ Anzai (Chapman University) as his first home run of the season gave the Rockers a 3-1 lead after two innings of play at Capital Credit Union Park.
Grayson Walker (Dickinson College) pitched four scoreless innings in a row after giving up a run in the first, keeping the Rockers on top 3-1 entering the fifth inning of play.
The Rockers tacked on a run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single from Kyle West (University of Charleston), extending their lead to three at 4-1 entering the sixth as West finished the night with two hits to lead the Rockers offensively.
Wisconsin Rapids scored four runs in the top of the sixth after RBI hits from Jack Basseer (Pepperdine) and Brandon Rogers (Iowa Western Community College) gave the Rafters their first lead of the night at 5-4 going into the seventh inning.
After Jett Thielke (Belmont University) pitched a scoreless seventh inning for Green Bay on the mound, the Rafters added four more runs in the eighth, with three of them coming on an RBI triple from Anthony Galason (Coastal Carolina). This put the Rafters ahead 9-4 entering the ninth inning, with Green Bay looking to make a late comeback at home Thursday night.
Despite the Rockers staying aggressive at the plate, Green Bay did not score in each of the final two innings as Nick Paulsen (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) sealed the deal for the Rafters on the mound to give Wisconsin Rapids their first win over the Rockers this summer.
Green Bay now heads on a three-game road stand starting Friday at Wisconsin Rapids, in the second game of the two-game series. First pitch from Witter Field is set for 6:35 p.m.
Single game tickets are on sale now. Visit www.greenbayrockers.com or call the ticket office at 920-497-7225 to reserve your seats today. The Rockers front office and Team Apparel Fan Shop at Capital Credit Union Park are located at 2231 Holmgren Way in Ashwaubenon. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm.
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The Green Bay Rockers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 29th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 300 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.greenbayrockers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rockers as your favorite team.