A tremendous game for Wisconsin Rapids on both sides of the ball result in another sweep of the Mallards

Wisconsin Rapids, WI— A solid win for the Rafters at Warner Park results in a sweep of the Mallards as they take them down 4-2. They out hit Madison 11-9.

The Rats took an early lead in the top of second as the hits started to flood in. Broussard singled into left and De Goti drilled a ball into center to bring 2 runners in scoring position. The very next batter, Chris Conniff, laced a hit into the left center field gap to send Broussard home. The Rafters kept the bats rolling in the 3rd inning as Sailors lined a ball into left. With 2 outs, Brendan Bobo saw a 1-2 pitch down the middle and belted a ball into deep center field that hit off the wall to stay fair. Bobo doubled and Sailors scored. 

Wisconsin Rapids were shutting the Mallards down on the defensive side of the ball which gave more room for the offense to go to work. That was the exact case in the top of the 5th. Long Beach native, David Rivera, was walked and eventually stole second base. With 2 outs, this brought up Garrett Broussard. The Madison pitcher, Chad McCann, was behind in the count 3-2 on Broussard. Broussard saw the payoff pitch home and hit a high fly ball into deep left field to bring in a 2 run home run. His second homer in 3 games. 

The bottom of the 7th came around and the Mallards broke through. A lead off single from Ryan Spock that went past the Rafter shortstop, Luke Hanson. Following it with a hit was Jake Goolsby to put 2 runners on with 2 outs. The Saint Johns outfielder, Jackson Tucker, hit a liner into right field to bring a runner home. As Tucker was taking second, Bobo made an excellent throw to Hanson to tag out the runner. The Rats were fortunate to only give up a run.

Calen Graham got the start at pitcher and went 5 innings. He allowed 3 hits and could not grab a strikeout, but never let up any runs. Mikiah Negrete had himself a day with 4 innings and 5 strikeouts. The Rafters bullpen only threw 2 pitchers which is very rare given how deep their pitching staff is. 

A 4-1 lead for the Rafters heading into the bottom of the 9th and Madison made it interesting. 2 singles from Sprock and Fisher gave the way for Goolsby to strike again. He lined a ball into left field near the 3rd base line to bring in Sprock. Tucker walked and the bases were loaded with the tying run at second. There were 2 outs and Noah Sudyka hit a shallow grand ball into the Virginia native, Luke Hanson, to grab the 3rd out and put the game to bed. 

The Rafters will have to wake up early as they have a double header tomorrow at Witter Field to take on the West division champions, the Green Bay Rockers. The first game starts at 11:35 and the second one kicks off at 6:35.

For 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.