Rafters’ defense holds Madison to two runs, but Rapids comes up short 2-1.

Madison, Wis. – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (1-2) struck first in their division opener against the Madison Mallards (3-0), but ultimately fell 2-1 on Thursday night.

Peter Matt opened the scoring with an RBI double in the top of the first inning that brought home Richie Schiekofer. The Rafters would end up posting eight hits in the game. Jake Dunham impressed in his return to a Rafters Uniform, going 2-for-4 in his season debut.

Madison answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the opening frame and the Mallards would take the lead on a wild pitch in the fifth inning.

Rafters pitching combined for seven strikeouts and gave up eight hits. Nate Barnes gets the loss in one inning of relief, while Madison’s Aiden Tyrell earns the win.

The Rafters prepare for their home opener at Historic Witter Field on Friday, getting set to face the Madison Mallards for the second time this season. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. as the Rafters look to reach .500 again on the season.

Want to attend a Rafters game this season? Rafters 9-Game Ticket Packages are on sale now! For more information on all Rafters ticket offerings visit Raftersbaseball.com, call the Rafthouse at

715-424-5400, or come visit us over at historic Witter Field. The Rafthouse is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday at Witter Field, 521 Lincoln Street in Wisconsin Rapids.

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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 Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 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.