Rafters win tight ballgame behind Cook’s third home run of the year.

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters’ nineteenth home run of the season was the most exciting, walking off Friday’s game versus the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders for a 4-3 win.

The Rafters and Dock Spiders were tight throughout the game. The Rafters fell down 0-1 early before loading the bases in the fourth inning. Jack-Thomas Wold singled on the right side of the infield to tie the game, scoring Ryan Walstad for his Pod-leading eighteenth run scored.

In the fifth, the Rafters took their first lead with an Andy Garriola RBI single, scoring Richie Schiekofer to make it 2-1. Garriola upped his RBI total to 15, tops on the Rafters roster.

Two runs came home for the Dock Spiders in the eighth, setting up a Rafters comeback. In the bottom of the eighth, Jake Dunham and Wold both singled to set up a rally. Roman Trujillo came to the plate and sliced a ball to right field to score the Rafters’ third run of the night, tying the score at 3-3.

Ricky Castro walked a tight rope in the top of the ninth, stranding a runner at third, setting the stage for Billy Cook to lead off the ninth. After a strike and a ball, Cook smashed the third pitch of the bottom of the ninth over the wall for a walk-off solo home run.

The Rafters improved to 12-5 for the season, first in the Wisconsin-Illinois Pod. The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders fell to 8-8 entering game two of the home-and-away series tomorrow afternoon in Fond du Lac. First pitch is at 1:05pm from Herr-Baker Field. Coverage begins at 12:50pm on AM 1320 WFHR.

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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 proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 26^th season, 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 230 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. 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.