Wisconsin Rapids, WI— The Rafters fall to Kalamazoo in a low scoring contest. It was a 4-1 game with only 7 combined hits. 4 to the Growlers and 3 to the Rafters.

Josh Howitt was given the start as he had an uncharacteristic day given how good of a pitcher he is. He went 4 innings and allowed a hit and a run. He threw 5 walks with 3 strikeouts as well.

The bottom of the 3rd was up and the Growlers delivered. Banks Tolley got on first from error while Mitchell walked. Henry Godbout then hit a hard ground ball to second and Tolley took home. The play was at the plate and after a questionable call from the umpire, Tolley was ruled safe. The umpire claimed that Jensen did not tag Tolley, which seemed up for debate. 

It was 2 more scoreless innings of baseball and then Kalamazoo added to their lead in the 6th. Rafter pitcher Malakai Vetock, had trouble finding the strike zone as he walked 3 straight batters. With 2 outs and a full count, the Growler catcher, Luke Mitchell, hit a line drive into left field to bring 2 runs to score. It was a 3-0 hole for the Rats and they were in trouble.

A quick response from the Rafters in the top of the 7th as they grabbed a run back. A standout of the day for the Rats was newly acquired Panama native, Orlando, Lorduy, he read the 1-0 pitch perfectly and smoked a ball to right field for a solo home run. He had a great game in his debut as he went 2-4 with a double as well. Unfortunately, Kalamazoo had a home run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Virginia product, Henry Godbout, grabbed another RBI as he slammed a solo home run into left field to put the Growlers back up by 3. The Rats had no response after that.

A tough game on both sides of the ball for the Rafters as their bullpen threw 8 walks and 5 strikeouts. They had a tough time getting the bats going and there were a lot of fly outs. They fell to 27-21 overall and 7-6 in the second half. They have not beaten Kalamazoo this season, but they look to split the series tomorrow at Homer-Stryker field. First pitch is at 1:35

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