Rafters, allowing just two runs per game over their last five, go for two-game sweep of Rivets.
Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – With eighteen wins over twenty games at Witter Field, the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (29-10) have been almost unstoppable at home this year. The Rafters look for another win in the waning regular season against the Rockford Rivets on Friday night.
Last night, the Rafters won their fifth in a row at Witter Field with a 10-0 shutout of the Rockford Rivets. Gabe Levy, Kaleb Schulist and Cam Brown combined on the mound for the Rafters’ fifth shutout of the year, tops in the Wisconsin-Illinois Pod.
Wisconsin Rapids has been fending off a charge from Fond du Lac in the pod standings. The Dock Spiders have won fifteen of their last sixteen games, closing ground on the Rafters to just two games back. The Rafters and Dock Spiders have both clinched home playoff games in the divisional round and are both contending for home field in the championship game with just seven games to go in the regular season.
Off of Thursday’s shutout, the Rafters start Nathan Hemmerling of Lakeland University. Hemmerling has a 4.40 ERA for the Rafters this season, after putting up a 2.28 ERA last summer in the Rafters rotation. Hemmerling has improved his strikeout numbers this season, striking out nineteen batters over 14.1 innings. The Rafters have a total of 423 strikeouts on the season, leading the Northwoods League.
Game two of the series between the Rockford Rivets and the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters is tonight at 6:35pm. Coverage of the Rivets and the Rafters starts at 6:20pm on AM 1320 WFHR and at 6:30pm on the Northwoods League Baseball Network.
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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’ 26th 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.
