Rafters Travel to Kalamazoo to Continue Michigan Trip

Wisconsin Rapids seeks fifth straight win

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. –  In game three of a four game Michigan road trip, Wisconsin Rapids (21-4) heads to Kalamazoo (7-18) to take on the Growlers on Sunday afternoon at Homer Stryker Field.  

Starting off the road trip with a sweep of Battle Creek, the Rafters capped off the series with an 8-1 victory over the Bombers. Jack Eagan, who is the league leader in wins with five, went six innings of one-run baseball with seven strikeouts.

Offensively, the Rafters put one run on the board in the first inning to give Eagan a lead to work with. Bryson Stott walked and came around to score on a wild pitch to put the Rafters on top early.

In the bottom of the second inning the Rafters put up six runs, aided by three walks and four hits. Stott, Josh Rehwaldt, Scott Kapers and Ryan Stekl each drove in a run, to put the Rafters up 5-0 before Jake Guenther laced a two-RBI double to finish the inning and pull the Rafters ahead 7-0 after two.

The lone run the Bombers could muster off Eagan came in the fourth. Alex Howard led off with a single, coming around to score later in the frame on a JD Mundy base knock. The Rafters added one more in the eighth for insurance to win 8-1 from C.O Brown Stadium.

On Sunday, the Rafters play game five of the season series against Kalamazoo. The Rafters have won all four games this season against the Growlers, including two on the road. The last time these two teams played Rafters starter J.P. Stevenson tossed eight scoreless innings and the offense blasted three home-runs in the 7-0 win.

Quinn DiPasquale gets the ball for the Rafters on Sunday. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA in four starts this year. The Stevens Institute of Technology junior tossed five innings in his last start against the Wisconsin Woodchucks. His longest start of the year came against the Woodchucks, lasting seven and two-thirds and giving up one earned run.

First pitch from Kalamazoo is slated for 2:05 pm CT. Coverage of the game can be found on WFHR 1320 AM or WFHR.com, the Rafters Radio Network. Pregame coverage begins at 1:50 pm CT.  

 

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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.