WAUSAU, Wis. – The Rafters fell behind the eight ball early and Wausau and never recovered. A four-run bottom of the first inning highlighted by a two-run blast from Woodchuck second baseman Val Cerna Jr got the scoring started.
The Rafters got two back in the top of the second on a two-out two-run double from Miles Vandenhuevel. Greyson Shafer drove in another run an inning later to make it a 4-3 ballgame.
Wausau added two runs in the third and one in the fourth, two of which came on leadoff homers from Cooper Vance and Jacob Haley.
A two spot for the Rafters in the top half of the fifth inning made it a two-run ball game thanks to another big knock from Shafer. Vandenhuvel cut the deficit to one with an RBI single in the sixth, but the Woodchucks didn’t have the one-run lead for long.
A five-run bottom of the sixth frame highlighted by a three-run homer from Wausau catcher Max Soliz Jr put the Woodchucks up by six.
Wausau would add another run in the seventh and four more in the eighth, totalling 17 runs on 20 hits. Four balls left the yard for the now 6-0 Woodchucks in their highest-scoring affair of the season.
The Rafters tacked on four in the ninth to make it a 17-10 final. Alex Brodie hit a two-run two-out blast in the frame, his first of the season. The 10 runs are the most scored by Wisconsin Rapids so far this season, but this seven-run loss is their largest margin of defeat.
Zach Voss got the start and picked up the loss for the Rafters. The right-hander from McNeese State went 2.2 innings, allowing nine hits and six runs while walking two and punching out one.
Edwin Alicea got the nod for Wausau, throwing three frames. The lefty allowed three runs off three hits while striking out three and walking two. Carson Plumador got the win for the Woodchucks out of the bullpen. The reliever threw 20 pitches in 1.2 innings of work, only surrendering one hit and no runs.
The Rafters are back in action tomorrow at Kapco Park against the Lakeshore Chinooks. It’s the second of five total road games for the team in six days. The first pitch is slated for 1:05, the game can be heard on the radio home of Rafter Baseball, WFHR – 97.5 FM, 1320 AM.
