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Published On: July 4th, 2017

 

Rafters Finish First Half of Season on Independence Day

Wisconsin Rapids completes series with Rockford

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – Independence Day baseball for Wisconsin Rapids (26-9) comes against Rockford (17-16) at Witter Field to end the first half of the season. The Rafters defeated the Rivets on Monday, 6-3 to open the season series.

Offensively, the Rafters pushed across a run in the first inning courtesy of a Dustin Woodcock RBI single. Charlie McConnell reached base with a single to kick off the inning for the Rafters before Woodcock brought him in.

McConnell continued to see the ball well, belting his first homer of the season in the third. Woodcock followed with an RBI double, putting the Rafters ahead 3-0 after three. Ryan Stekl drove in his team-high 27th RBI of the season in the fifth, while Woodcock smashed a two-run blast to give the Rafters a 6-1 lead through five. The Rivets tagged on two more, but Layne Henderson shut down the ninth for his sixth save in as many chances this year.

It was another outstanding performance on the mound by Isaiah Carranza, who is now 3-0 on the season in three starts. He went six strong, giving up one earned run on five hits.

On the mound for the Rafters on July 4th is Jesse Slinger (4-0). With a perfect record, the righty has a 1.64 ERA in five starts. His best outing came at home against Green Bay earlier this season, tossing seven innings of shutout baseball, striking out four and allowing no free passes. This will be Slinger’s sixth appearance on the hill this year for the Rafters.

The Rivets counter with right-hander Lukas Veinbergs. Making his second start of the year, Veinbergs does not have a decision, appearing in five games with a 0.84 ERA.

Leading the charge offensively for the Rafters this season is Woodcock. The third-year man is hitting .343 with five homers and 26 RBI’s.

The game against Rockford is set for a 3:05 pm first pitch. Fans who bring in non-perishable food items will receive 2 for 1 reserved bleacher seats, presented by Incourage. In addition, a special ‘Merica Meal Deal ticket package including a reserved bleacher seat, bratwurst and slice of apple pie will be available for all fans for $10. Coverage of the game starts at 2:50 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.