GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters were performing an encore tonight in Green Bay on their Northwoods League-wide tour and they did not disappoint. They left the Green Bay Rockers without any more roll, as the Rats won their 11th straight game by a score of 11-4.
The Rafters performance started with a banger, as they hung three runs on the board in the top of the first. Left fielder Garrett Broussard hit an RBI single to give the Rafters their first lead of the night, 1-0. Then, a Jack Rogers RBI sacrifice fly and a Jacob Igawa run via a wild pitch gave the Rats a 3-0 lead. However, the Rockers answered back in the home half putting two on the board. The Rats still sustained their early success, as Tommy Barth hit an RBI double that brought in centerfielder Chase Call. Ben Ross continued to do Ben Ross things, as crushed a two-run homer in the top of the second to give the Rats a 6-2 lead.
Rafters starter Michael Lindsey only went one inning, and then Caden Favors came in the ballgame. Favors had a nearly spotless outing going five innings, giving up two runs off of a homer from Rockers center fielder Jackson Strong. However, besides that, Favors struck out two and only walked one, while facing just four over the minimum in his five innings. The Rafters scored three more in the sixth via back-to-back-to-back RBI singles from Barth, Ross, and Brendan Bobo to take a 9-4 lead.
Rafters relievers, Jacob James and Malakai Vetock, threw scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth innings. Garrett Broussard gave the Rats some more insurance with a two-run bomb in the top of the ninth to put the cherry on top for the Rats, as they took an 11-4 lead. After the homer, a rain delay of around 30 minutes ensued, and then play continued. Wisconsin Rapids reliever Ben Adams threw a scoreless ninth and gave the Rafters their 11th win in a row. Caden Favors received the win for the Rats, as Ben Ross and Tommy Barth carried the offense against driving in five runs on five hits combined.
The Rafters will be back in action tomorrow at 5:05 pm at Witter Field against the Kenosha Kingfish. The game can be watched on the Northwoods League Baseball Network with Carter Gledhill or listened to on WFHR 1320 AM/97.5 FM with Brett Loftis.
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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’ 28th 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 280 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 (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com. 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.
