Wisconsin Rapids goes for the sweep of Woodchucks in home and home series.

 

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – The Rafters handily got the win last night at Athletic Park. The cranberry and gold’s 8-4 win over the Woodchucks moves them to 2-1 on the season with a two-game win streak. After a three-day road trip, the Rafters look to sweep the Woodchucks with a win in their home opener at Witter Field.

 

The hot bat for the Rafters comes from Mitch Mallek (St. Cloud State). Last night against the Woodchucks, Mallek went 3-4 with two runs and a double. Mallek has a .364 batting average after three games.

 

Bobby Dorta (Millersville) earned his first Rafters win last night. Dorta pitched 4.0 innings allowing only three hits and striking out three. Dorta is a utility player who batted as a designated hitter in the season opener at the Madison Mallards on May 29.

 

On the mound tonight for the Rafters is Ryan Byrd (SIU-Edwardsville). Tonight, will be Byrd’s debut for the Rafters but not in the Northwoods League as he played for the Bismarck Larks last summer. In his junior year at SIU-Edwardsville, Byrd has 40 strikeouts to 27 walks, averaging 6.24 strikeouts per nine innings.

 

Pitching for the Woodchucks is Brett Wicklund (Heartland CC). Tonight, will be Wicklund’s debut in the Northwoods League. In his freshman season, he pitched 70.2 innings and had a 10-1 record with 50 strikeouts.

 

The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are home again tomorrow against Big Top Baseball rival, the Green Bay Bullfrogs. Saturday’s game will celebrate 2017 Field Manager of the Year: Craig Noto and the Northwoods League Record 52-win season by a bobblehead giveaway. The entire 2018 Rafters schedule is available at www.raftersbaseball.com.

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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods 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 190 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visitwww.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.