Green Bay and Wisconsin Rapids play Friday night’s game until 12:38 a.m. on Saturday.
Wisconsin Rapids, WI. – The Rockers and Rafters made history Friday night as they played the third-longest game in Northwoods League history with an official run time of 5:59. The game would be won by the Rockers 13-2.
With the win, Green Bay clinched home-field advantage in the subdivision round of the Northwoods League playoffs. The Madison Mallards also clinched a postseason berth with a win over the Wausau Woodchucks.
The win was not only historic for the league, but also the franchise. The 41st win of the season marked the third-most in franchise history.
Starting on the mound for the Rockers was Bryce Crabb (Northwestern St. Paul). He would throw three innings for the Rockers with two coming before the rain delay.
Green Bay got off to an early start at the plate, producing three runs in the first inning. Runs batted in from Zane Zielinski (Illinois-Chicago), Mateo Matthews (Wagner), and Nainoa Cardinez (Hawaii) would give them a 3-0 lead after the first frame.
The third inning of the contest would end up being the longest. After an RBI single from Matthews and Cardinez’s fourth home run of the season, the game went into a weather delay. The delay would last around two and a half hours before play resumed.
Later in the third, left fielder Kendal Ewell (Illinois-Chicago) hit an RBI single to score Andrew Harris (UW-Parkside). Green Bay led the contest 7-0 after three innings.
After Wisconsin Rapids scored their first two runs of the ball game, Green Bay responded with two runs of their own. Right fielder Jojo Jackson (Georgia State) launched his fourth home run of the season to give the Rockers a 9-2 lead.
It wasn’t until the bottom of the eighth inning that Wisconsin Rapids would get their first hit of the night. Green Bay would only allow one combined hit as a staff throughout the game. Apart from Crabb, Henry Chabot (Chapman), Jake Liberta (Hawaii-Hilo), Connor Nolen (Carroll), and Tyler Horvath all threw scoreless innings.
Green Bay would pile on four runs in the top of the ninth inning before Horvath closed out the game where the Rockers won 13-2.
Green Bay’s offense produced 12 total hits for the game. Cardinez, Ewell, Jackson, and Matthews all tallied multi-hit performances.
Up next for the Rockers is the final game of the regular season. They return to Witter Field for the 72nd game of the regular season before the subdivision playoff game in Madison on Sunday.
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.
