Rafters Begin Four Game Home Stand on Saturday 

Wisconsin Rapids plays 10 of final 14 games at home

 

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – Home for four games in a row, Wisconsin Rapids (41-17, 14-8) begins a two-game series with Lakeshore (30-27, 12-10) on Saturday at Witter Field. The Rafters completed a double-header sweep of Madison on Friday, finishing the season 6-2 against the Mallards.  

 

With a tied game heading into the fifth in game one, the Mallards got a jumpstart from the bottom of their order. Cade Bunnell (Madison College) led off with a single, and Maverick Handley (Stanford) drew a walk. Andrew Baker (Florida) singled to center to give Madison a 4-3 before Sam Armstrong (Jacksonville) roped a double to bring in two more and push the Mallards in front 6-3 after five. 

 

Wisconsin Rapids wasted little time on offense to jump back in front. To lead off the sixth, Jared Nelson (Phoenix College) drove a double, Charlie McConnell (Northeastern) singled, and Nick Anderson (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) drove in Nelson on a single. Stott drove a double to left to pull the game within one before Ryan Stekl (Canisius) tied the game on a sacrifice fly. Dustin Woodcock (SIUE) flared a single to left to give the Rafters the lead, 7-6. Two more Rafters scored on a Mallards error to put the Rafters in front 9-6. Cameron Busby (Belmont Abbey) shut the door to complete his third save. 

 

Game two’s offense started in the first inning when McConnell reached on an error and came around to score on a double play ball to put the Rafters in the lead 1-0. 

 

All knotted at two in the fifth, Woodcock roped a single to right to give the Rafters their second lead of the game, 3-2. 

 

McConnell continued to swing a hot bat with a single to lead off the seventh. Anderson bunted him over, and Stekl was intentionally walked. Bryson Stott (UNLV) drove a single to left to load the bases for Woodcock. The lefty drove a double down the left field line to score two, and give the Rafters a 5-3 lead. Layne Henderson (Azusa Pacific) entered in the bottom of the inning to work his league-leading 15th save in as many tries. 

 

On the mound for the Rafters to open the series with Lakeshore is Quinn DiPasquale (Stevens Institute of Technology). The standout pitcher is 6-1 and holds a 2.58 ERA in nine starts. With 52 innings pitched, the right-hander has accumulated 49 strikeouts while issuing just 16 walks. DiPasquale’s last start came on the road in Kenosha, where he threw six innings of one-run baseball. The All-Star has pitched six or more innings his past three starts. 

 

Game Notes: 

 

– The Rafters hold a 3-1 record in the season series with the Chinooks, winning the first three games before losing the last game in Lakeshore 8-7. The all-time series stands in favor of Lakeshore, holding a 23-19 advantage. 

 

– Bryson Stott is currently riding a 14-game hitting streak, with seven multi-hit games in that span. It is the second longest hitting streak for a Rafter this season. 

 

– Quinn DiPasquale is one win away from tying teammates Jack Eagan and Jesse Slinger with a league-high seven wins. No other pitcher has more than six across the league. 

 

Gates open at 5:05 p.m. for a 6:05 p.m. first pitch at Witter Field. Saturday is Heartland Farms Rally Entertainment night. Coverage begins at 5:50 p.m. 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, 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.comor download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rafters as your favorite team.