Rafters are lately struggling to find their stride

Wisconsin Rapids, WI— Another defeat for the Rafters as they drop their 5th straight game. This time it was the Battle Creek Battle Jacks who came into town and rained victorious over the Rats by a score of 7-5 in extra innings. The Rafters out hit Battle Creek 9-6, but could not hold the lead.

Josh Howitt was given the start on the mound and he had a terrific day. The Rafters ace went 6 innings, gave up 2 hits, 2 runs, and 5 strikeouts. 

Wisconsin Rapids got the scoring going as De Goti walked and brought Brendan Bobo up. Bobo ripped a ball into right field to give himself a double and put 2 runs in scoring position. Lorduy then hit a sac fly into deep right field to allow De Goti to break open the scoring. They continued to get runs home as they grabbed another one in the 3rd. A lead off double from Ty Johnson followed by a single from De Goti put runners at the corners with no outs. De Goti was caught stealing second, but Johnson raced home to send in another run to have an early 2 run lead.

The Rats had the bats rolling once more in the 4th inning as Anthony Galason drilled a ball into left center field that hit off the wall. Returning Rafter, Aiden Brewer, made his debut today and doubled into center field to put 2 in scoring position. Conniff earned a sac fly RBI to bring in Galason to score. Wisconsin Rapids added to their lead in the 5th as Brendan Bobo smoked a home run that was 406 feet into right field. The Rafters had a 4-0 lead heading into the top of the 6th, but unfortunately that was the last time they scored in awhile.

Battle Creek cracked the scoreboard in the 6th as Howitt started to slow down. Kuhns was hit by a pitch and J.T Sokolove lined a ball into center field. The very next batter, Blake Salmon, doubled into deep right field to bring in 2 runs to score. The Battle Jacks cut the lead in half in a hurry. 

Devon Jones stepped on the mound in the 7th and had a tough time finding the strike zone. He threw 3 walks in 4 batters and put the bases loaded. A swing of the bat for Sebastian Kuhns tied this game up as he singled into deep left field to score Daniels and McRae. This was a 4-4 ball game and the Battle Jacks scored 4 unanswered. 

There were 2 scoreless innings of baseball and these teams were added into extra innings. With a runner already started at second. Allgeyer walked and that eventually brought up Brock Daniels with 2 runners on. Daniels lined a ball into right center field and the pinch runner, Coltrane Runner, scored. Blake McRae then stepped up in a big way. He saw the first pitch and lined a ball into left field to bring 2 more Battle Jacks home. It was a 7-4 game and the Rats were in trouble.

The Rafters did not start off well in the bottom of the 10th as De Goti and Bobo both struck out. Lorduy swung at a full count pitch and laced a hit into right field to send Johnson home. That was the last run of the night as Broussard popped out to the catcher and the game ended.

Wisconsin Rapids has dropped 5 straight games and lost 6 of the past 7. They look to find their rhythm tomorrow as they host the Battle Jacks for game 2 of the series. First pitch is 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