Wisconsin Rapids pull out the win in extras

Wisconsin Rapids, WI— Rafters pull off a terrific victory in Traverse City to take down the Pit Spitters 5-4. They were out hit 8-6, but found a way to win.

 Jacob Rosenkranz got the start on the mound and recorded 2 strikeouts. Logan Schulfer took over the pitching duties in the 4th inning and tallied 3 more strikeouts. This game was played at a high level defensively through 6 innings of baseball, there were not many hits and no runs scored. 

The top of the 7th came around and the Rafters broke through. Brendan Bobo got the bats rolling with a double into right center field. Broussard then bunted on the 3rd base line as he got to 1st and Bobo advanced to 3rd. Right after that the 1st baseman, Jack Gurevitch, lined a ball into center field to send Bobo home. Shane Taylor was shortly up after and he made his mark once again. He saw the 1-0 pitch come right down the plate and belted a ball into left field for a 3 run home run, his 3rd of the season. Wisconsin Rapids took a commanding 4-0 lead through the top of the 7th. 

The game was unfortunately a long way from over as the Pit Spitters came storming back in the bottom of the 9th. A couple walks allowed runners to get on base. Traficante  walked and sent Orzech home from 3rd. Erikson got home on a fielder’s choice. Another run scored and just like that it was 4-2. Parker Brousius was then up and smashed a ball into left field to send 2 runners home. The Rafters gave up 4 runs and the score was 4-4 heading into extras. 

Extra innings came around and Conniff already started from second. On the second pitch of the inning, Conniff stole 3rd and a passed ball at the bag allowed Conniff to get home. The Rafters took a 5-4 lead. The bottom of the 10th came and there were 2 outs with a runner on 3rd. A ground ball was driven up the middle and the shortstop, Garrett Broussard, made a miraculous turnaround throw to get the runner out at 1st. The Rafters pulled off the victory.

They end the Michigan road trip with a 2-2 record splitting the Battle Creek and Traverse City series. They will be back at home tomorrow vs Lakeshore. 1st pitch is at 6:05.

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

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. Now in its’ 30^th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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 325 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 and on ESPN+. For more information, visit 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.