Rafters Travel to Lakeshore for a Weekend Series

Wisconsin Rapids takes 3-1 record on the road to take on the Chinooks

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – Set for its first road series of the 2017 season, Wisconsin Rapids heads to Lakeshore for a weekend matchup.

Both teams bring offenses coming off double-digit scoring performances. Lakeshore (3-1) put up back-to-back nights of 10 or more runs on the Madison Mallards, winning 13-0 and 10-3, respectively.

In the win Friday, the Chinooks put up seven runs in the top of the third inning. Kody Matthews began the inning with a double, and the rest of the Lakeshore offense followed his lead. Connor Kimple singled to drive in Matthews, and then the Chinooks offense loaded the bases for Zach Biermann. Biermann took an 0-1 pitch deep for a grand slam, putting Lakeshore ahead 5-0. Mathews came around to bat again in the inning, driving a two-run double to cap off the seven-run frame. The Chinooks added a run in the fourth, and two in the ninth.

On the same night, the Rafters (3-1) posted 17 hits on their way to a 13-5 victory over the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders at home. After falling behind 5-0 after two innings, the Rafters offense broke out, scoring four runs in the third. Jake Guenther, Mitch Mallek, and Brock Hallum all drove in runs on RBI singles, while Nick Owens ended the scoring in the frame with an RBI double to pull the Rafters within one.

The Dock Spiders lead last until the fifth, when Owens singled in Mallek to tie the game. Bryson Stott wasted no time, lining a two-RBI single to left to give the Rafters their first lead of the game. Wisconsin Rapids then tacked on six more runs, highlighted by a Christian Jones home-run. Owens finished the game three-for-three, driving in four runs while Hallum reached base safely off four plate appearances.

Tonight, the attention turns to both teams trying to start the season off with a 4-1 mark. The Rafters send J.P. Stevenson out to the mound for his first start of the summer. Stevenson, from Canisius College, won a team-high nine games in the spring, owning an ERA of 3.65 in 93 innings. The lefty struck out 61 batters in 15 starts, tossing a complete game. Lakeshore is set to start Zach Spears Miami-Ohio. The lefty started a team-high 13 games in the spring with a 3-8 record. Spears held on ERA of 5.85 in 60 innings.

First pitch in Lakeshore is 6:35 pm at Kapco Park. Coverage of the game can be found on WFHR 1320 AM or WFHR.com, the Rafters Radio Network. Pregame coverage begins at 6:20 pm.

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The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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 170 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM).  All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit http://northwoodsleague.com/wisconsin-rapids-rafters/ or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rafters as your favorite team.