Rafters and Rivets Meet In Rapids

Wisconsin Rapids plays Rockford for the first time this season

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – For the first time this season, Wisconsin Rapids (25-9) takes on Rockford (17-15) in a matchup at Witter Field on Monday. The teams have only played head-to-head eight times in franchise history, with the Rafters leading the series 5-3.

The Rafters enter the day after two losses in Fond du Lac in a double-header on Sunday.  

It was a quick start for Fond du Lac in game one of the double-header. Chris Cornelius and Brandon Wulff singled to lead off the inning in the first for the Dock Spiders. Thomas Luevano drove in the first run of the game with a single. AJ Lewis followed with a base hit and run batted in, while Jason Santana drove in two with a single to give Fond du Lac a 4-0 lead after one.

Three more runs came in to score for the Dock Spiders in the second. Cornelius reached on an error while Luke Mangeri doubled. Wulff, Luevano, and Lewis each drove in a run with hits to push the lead to 7-0.

The Rafters got on the board in the third inning when Will Davis was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Dustin Woodcock drove a single to left, scoring Davis to pull the game to 7-1.

In the third and fourth innings combined, Fond du Lac scored six runs to take a 10-1 lead. Nick Anderson singled in a run in the seventh to score the Rafters second run.

Game two started off like the first for the Dock Spiders offense, tagging on five runs. Andrew Bullock hit a sacrifice fly, and Colin Ridout unloaded the bases with a double. Eric Gilgenbach doubled in a run to give the Dock Spiders a 5-0 lead after one.

Bryson Stott led off the second with a walk for the Rafters, and came in to score on a Wyatt Mascarella single to left. With the bases loaded in the third for the Rafters, Stott came through with a two-RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-3. But the Dock Spiders bullpen held on for the win.

Starting on the mound for the Rafters on Monday is Isaiah Carranza, who is 2-0 in two starts this season. This year Carranza has a 2.07 ERA, with 13 innings pitched and 17 strikeouts. The righty has walked only two batters and has pitched at least six innings in both starts. In his last outing, Carranza went six strong against Fond du Lac, giving up one earned run and striking out a season-high nine batters.

The game against Rockford is set for a 7:05 pm first pitch. Gates open at 6:05 pm for Bacon Appreciation Night. The night is dedicated to Delton Grand Wisconsin Dells. Coverage of the game starts at 6:50 pm on AM 1320 WFHR and WFHR.com, the Rafters Radio Network.

 

 

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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.