Green Bay now winners of two straight heading into the final game of four-game homestand Sunday
Photo contributed by Carlos Gonzalez
Ashwaubenon, Wis.- The Green Bay Rockers won their second straight game Saturday night, taking down the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 7-2 at Capital Credit Union Park in the first of a two-game series between the two clubs.
The Rockers leaned on three homers off the bats of Jayson Jones (Arkansas) and Mateo Matthews (Wagner College), and along with stellar pitching from the Rockers staff, Green Bay took control right from the beginning to earn the huge victory over Wisconsin Rapids Saturday night.
In the bottom of the first, Jones started strong with a solo homer to right to give the Rockers an early 1-0 lead, and then an error that scored JoJo Jackson (Georgia St) made it 2-0 in favor of Green Bay.
The Rockers tacked on three runs in the second courtesy of a hit-by-pitch and a two-RBI single off the bat of Jack Holman (UCLA) as the three runs put Green Bay ahead 5-0 through just two innings of play at Capital Credit Union Park.
Following a scoreless third inning on both sides, Jones hit his second homer of the night to extend their lead to 6-0 heading into the fifth, with all the momentum on the home team’s side through the first half of the ballgame.
Green Bay rounded out their offense in the bottom of the fifth on a towering homer from Matthews, as his solo blast extended their lead to 7-0 with the contest approaching the sixth inning.
After each team went scoreless in the sixth, Jason Jennerjohn (Upper Iowa) threw a scoreless seventh inning for Green Bay, keeping the momentum with the Rockers through seven innings with Green Bay still in control up by seven.
Even with the Rafters tacking on two runs in the top of the eighth, Jennerjohn kept them further off the board with the last two Rafters being retired, as he came back out for the top of the ninth with Green Bay still leading by five at 7-2.
Jennerjohn threw a scoreless 0.2 innings of the ninth but Nainoa Cardinez (Hawaii) took the ball for the final out on Hawaiian night, and struck out the only batter he faced to seal the deal for Green Bay, taking down the Rafters 7-2 in Ashwaubenon.
The Rockers will now conclude the four-game homestand Sunday afternoon against the Rafters at Capital Credit Union Park. First pitch is set for 1:05 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. Now in its’ 30th 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 325 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.