Rafters Start Home-Stand vs. Bombers Tuesday

Wisconsin Rapids plays five of next six at home before All-Star break

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – Five days on the road brings Wisconsin Rapids (31-10) back to Witter Field on Tuesday to host Battle Creek (24-17) for the third meeting of the season. In the all-time series, the Rafters lead 34-29-1, winning both matchups this season.

The Rafters played four of the scheduled five games on the road trip, due to inclement weather on Monday, the game against Kenosha has been rescheduled for a July 22^nd double-header. Rapids won 10-8 on Sunday in its last played game, coming against the Kingfish.

For the fourth straight game, Wisconsin Rapids scored in the first inning on Sunday in a thriller. Charlie McConnell led off with a single, and scored on a double by Dustin Woodcock to put the Rafters up 1-0.

Jake Guenther joined in on the early offense for Rapids, tagging a ball over the right field wall for a solo homer to give the Rafters a 2-0 lead. Rapids busted the game open in the third, as Nick Anderson led off the inning with a solo home-run. Woodcock walked while Jacson McGowan and Christian Jones were hit by pitches to load the bases. Guenther dug in, and smacked a grand slam to right-center to put the Rafters on top 7-0 after three innings. McGowan wasted no time in the fifth, leading off the inning with a solo blast and giving the Rafters a 9-0 advantage on Kenosha.

It took until the bottom of the sixth for the Kingfish to get on the board. After a Rafters error, Tim Millard went deep to left, hitting a home-run to make the game 9-2. Kenosha added a run in the eighth to pull within 9-3, and Rapids tagged an insurance run on in the top of the ninth to make it 10-3.

In the bottom of the inning, Tyler Paulson hit a two-run homer Derek Bangert homered to make the score 10-8. Layne Henderson entered the game for the Rafters, striking out the final two batters of the game for his ninth save in as many tries.

Set to take the hill on Tuesday for the Rafters is Isaiah Carranza (3-0). The righty owns a 1.89 ERA this season in three starts. Carranza has tossed at least six innings in all three starts, with his best coming against Green Bay in his first start. The righty pitched to a six-inning, one-run game in his last start at home vs. Rockford. Carranza has 19 innings logged with 23 strikeouts and just four walks.

Wisconsin Rapids and Battle Creek have a first pitch of 7:05 p.m. with coverage of Monday’s game starting at 6:50 p.m. on AM 1320 WFHR and WFHR.com, the Rafters Radio Network. Tonight’s game is Mid-State Technical College Protective Services Night: Honoring policemen, firefighters, paramedics, corrections, and others who perform the tasks that keep us safe.

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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, 180 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 www.raftersbaseball.com 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.