Three wins away from clinching a playoff berth, Rapids faces Madison at home

Looking to bounce back, the first-place Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (20-12) return home for a critical two-game series against the Madison Mallards (16-16) starting Thursday.

The Rafters dropped a tough game two against the Kenosha Kingfish by a final score of 8-2. Osvaldo Tovalin’s double was the lone RBI for the Rafters. Starting pitcher Gareth Stroh struck out six batters in four innings of work.

Wisconsin Rapids still holds the top spot in the Great Lakes West Division and has a magic number of three to clinch a playoff spot and home-field advantage. The team is 1.5 games ahead of Fond du Lac.

All-star pitcher Neil Abbatiello will get the start for Wisconsin Rapids. The lefty is 3-2 this season and holds a 1.60 ERA. Madison will give the ball to Elliot Turnquist who is 3-1 with a 2.78 ERA.

The Rafters and Mallards close the series Friday at Historic Witter Field for Founding Partners Fan Appreciation Night, featuring a postgame fireworks show.

As the Rafters gear up for a late-season run, you can experience the postseason action firsthand. For more information on playoff ticket offerings visit Raftersbaseball.com, call the Rafthouse at 715-424-5400, or visit historic Witter Field. The Rafters ticket office 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.