Wisconsin Rapids lost a lead in the fifth and Fond du Lac held on for a one run win

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (17-21, 2-1 2^nd half) lost to the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (22-16, 1-2 2^nd half) by one-run after losing a three-run lead in the fifth.

The Dock Spiders scored the first run of the game after back-to-back base hits to start the frame. A 4-6-3 double play was hit into by Mitch Boe but it allowed Sam Cohen to score from third. The Rafters tied it up a half inning later. Jordan Wiley (Kalamazoo College) collected a lead-off double and Brody Wofford (UCF) delivered the RBI base hit to plate Wiley and tie the game.

Three more Rafters runs scored in the fourth off of four consecutive hits. Matt Schmidt (Michigan) smacked a two-run double and Victor Carlino (Long Beach State) earned an RBI single to give the Rafters a 4-1 lead.

Fond du Lac took a lead in the fifth after loading the bases twice and sending nine men to the plate. A two-run single from Andrew Bullock was the big hit in the inning to give the Dock Spiders a 5-4 lead. Four runs scored on four hits in the bottom of the fifth. Both bullpens pitched scoreless ball from then onwards. The Dock Spiders held on to their lead as the Rafters fell by one.

The loss was suffered by Brecken Lewis (1-2, 4.88 ERA) his second of the year. Mike Gagliardi (2-0, 1.00 ERA) was given the win for pitching a scoreless top of the fifth while Zach Bryant (0-0, 4.00 ERA) earned his fifth save. The Rafters wrap up their series with Fond du Lac at Herr-Baker Field tomorrow with a 6:35 pm CT first pitch.

###

The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. 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, 190 former 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 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.