Wisconsin Rapids sits .5 games behind Lakeshore in the season standings for fifth place in the South Division

Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin – The Rafters will have to go 6-6 over their last 12 games to record 32 wins this season, the most since the team’s inception in 2010. The road to that mark begins with tonight when Wisconsin Rapids hosts the Lakeshore Chinooks at Witter Field. The Chinooks are 1.5 games behind the Rafters in the second half of the season, but sit .5 games ahead of Wisconsin Rapids overall. The two teams have split their season series so far this year at 3-3, as each team picked up a home two-game sweep, along with a split in Mequon, Wisconsin on July 15-16.

Yesterday, the Rafters dropped both games of a doubleheader to the Eau Claire Express. In game one, Wisconsin Rapids fell fell 14-3. The Rafters took a 2-0 lead in the top of the 2nd inning and looked to be in control after four innings, leading by a score of 2-1. The Express proceeded to score thirteen of the final fourteen runs of the ball game. In the second game of the twin-billing, the Rafters again had control of the game late, leading 5-1 heading to the home half of the eighth. But Eau Claire came through with three runs in the eighth and rallied for a pair in the ninth for the walk-off win.

Wisconsin Rapids will send arguably its most consistent pitcher to the mound tonight in Jay Peters. The UW-Milwaukee commit is 3-1 on the summer with a sparkling 2.04 ERA over 22 innings. The Randolph, Wisconsin native has 26 strike outs and just four walks in his four starts and has picked up the win in his last three outings.

Tonight is Renaissance Learning Night at the ballpark. Gates open at 6:05 p.m. with first pitch coming at 7:05.

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The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website.  For more information, visit www.raftersbaseball.com.