Last game of the month pits Rafters against Bullfrogs

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – On Thursday night, Witter Field will host the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (20-10), who return home to begin a two-game series with the Green Bay Bullfrogs (12-18), looking to hold steady atop the South Division. Leading the Madison Mallards by one game with six games left to play, each outing is of paramount importance to the Rafters as they seek their first ever birth in the Northwoods League playoffs.

Taking the mound for the Rafters will be right-hander Chris Cooper (Texas A&M Corpus Christi), who has pitched excellently for the Rafters in 2016. Slated for his fifth start of the summer, Cooper has picked up victories in each of his first four turns and allowed just a single earned run. In 24 innings on the hill, Cooper has posted a league-best 0.38 ERA coupled with 18 strikeouts compared to just five walks. While Cooper has dominated throughout the first half of the season, he has also been the beneficiary of tremendous run support from the Rafter lineup. Only one time this season have the Rafters scored less than 10 runs when Cooper pitches, averaging 11 tallies per outing.

Cooper will face a Green Bay Bullfrog team that, despite splitting their last 10 games and winning three of four, has struggled for the majority of the first half. The issues plaguing the Bullfrogs this summer have surrounded their ability to offer complete performances, both hitting well and pitching well in spurts, but seldom at the same time. The Rafters look to move ahead of Green Bay in the season series after splitting the opening tilt at the top of the season.

First pitch at Witter Field is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. with gates opening to the public at 6:05 p.m.

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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 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball, 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 150 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 (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.raftersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store and set the Rafters as your favorite team.