A great defensive display lifts the Rafters to victory

Wisconsin Rapids, WI— It was a huge win for the Rafters as they took down the Mallards 3-0 to sweep the series. They out hit Madison 8-3 and played terrific on both sides of the ball. 

The Rats took an early lead in the top of the 3rd as Anthony Galason singled a hard ground ball into left field. Another hit right after came in from Hugo as he lifted a ball into left field to put 2 runners on base. Brendan Bobo made his mark once again as he lashed a ball into right field to send Galason home from second. Bobo recorded his 18th RBI this season and his 5th this series. San Diego 1st baseman, Jack Gurevitch, lashed a hit out into center field to bring Hugo home to give the rats a 2-0 lead.

Calen Graham was the starting pitcher and netted 3 strikeouts while giving up 2 hits in 3 innings of work. California native, Mikiah Negrete, recorded 2 more strikeouts allowing no hits. The Rafters bullpen threw 5 pitchers and they totaled 9 strikeouts. The Rats were constantly playing defensive baseball and Madison was not able to find any success on the offensive end. 

Wisconsin Rapids kept the bats hot in the top of the 7th as Hugo walked and Bobo continued his big day with a driven ball into right field. Gurevitch stepped up to the plate once again and belted a ball into left field to bring home Hugo for his second run. Gurevitch recorded an RBI double and his second RBI of the day. He went 2-5 and was a big part of the Rafters bats today and currently leads the team in RBI’s with 19.

The Rats have won 3 straight and a win today lifts them into 1st place. They have the same record as Wausau, but they hold the tiebreaker with 2 games to go in the 1st half. If they hold the 1st place position in the next 2 games, they will clinch a playoff berth for the second straight year. Wisconsin Rapids has a big contest tomorrow in Fond Du Lac to take on the Dock Spiders. First pitch is scheduled at 1:05.

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.