WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI – The La Crosse Loggers ended their seven-game road trip on a high note
by defeating the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 7-2 in front of 1,482 fans at Witter Field on Thursday night.
The game started after a 66-minute rain delay, but the Loggers were ready right from the get-go as Will Savage (Columbia) drew a one-out walk and came around to score one batter later thanks to a Jordan Zimmerman (Michigan State) double to give the Loggers an early 1-0 lead.
La Crosse would tack on two more in the third and another two in the fifth to race out to a 5-0 lead for starter Brandon Lawson (South Florida). Lawson would keep the Rafters bats at bay for 4.2 shutout innings, working in and out of jams thanks to the help of eight recorded strikeouts on the night.
Southpaw Ryan Marks (Columbia) would relieve Lawson in the bottom of the fifth and toss one inning, allowing one run on one hit to eventually earn the win. Matt Naylor (North Florida) and Jack Ralston (UCLA) would throw the final 3.1 innings of shutout baseball to secure the Loggers 7-1 victory.
The Loggers offense was led by Savage who collected a pair of hits and scored three times. Chris Baker (Washington) also drove in a pair.
With the win the Loggers wrapped up their seven-game road trip by going 5-2, winning their fourth straight, and are now 17-13 overall. They return home to the friendly confines of Copeland Park to host the same Rafters for a 7:05 p.m. contest. Gates open at 6 as Miller Lite presentes a "Tribute to the Brew Crew" Night featuring a live apperance by the world famous Klement's Racing Sausages.