Written by: Khalin Kapoor, TV Broadcaster

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. –  The Rafters kept it as close as possible against Wausau on Monday but couldn’t seal the deal, eventually losing 4-2 after ceding two runs in the ninth.

In a game that featured tight pitching throughout and chances galore for both teams, it was the Woodchucks who prevailed for the fifth time this season against WR.

Wausau started the scoring with a solo home run off the bat of Jonah St. Antoine in the top of the third inning. It was the lone run scored off of Rafters’ starter Bryson Moore, who finished his outing with three innings pitched and five strikeouts. 

The two runs for the Rafters were scored in the third inning: Walker Buchanan reached on an error from Woodchucks shortstop Jake Berkland which allowed the game tying run to score, then Aidan Teel ripped an RBI single to give WR a 2-1 lead. 

Nick Paulsen would take the baton from Moore and he shined as well for the second straight appearance. He allowed just one run in four innings, striking out five in the process. That lone run was an important one however, as it was a solo shot in the sixth from Bryce Hubbard that tied the ballgame at two. 

After combining for eight innings of one-run ball in Madison on July 3, Moore and Paulsen once again put together a strong showing for Wisconsin Rapids.  

“That’s been a pretty good tandem for us lately,” said Rafters’ pitching coach Mike Spears. “Sometimes it’s just baseball and you come up on the short end of the stick.”

But after a clean top of the eighth thrown by Kyle Bender, things unraveled in the ninth.

Bender stayed in with the game tied at two and let two of the first three hitters reach base before being hooked for Michael Pirrello. With runners on first and second, Pirrello induced what could have been an inning-ending double play ball, but it was bobbled by Jorge DeGoti at third which loaded the bases. The right-hander would then walk in two runs to give Wausau a 4-2 lead. 

 “All we can do is pound the zone and hope that the ball gets put in play and that we do something with the ball,” said Spears. “Unfortunately the ball didn’t go in our court tonight.”

To the credit of the pitching staff, they rebounded nicely after the disastrous 20-3 loss in Wausau on Monday. Ceding just four runs against the best team in the NWL should lead to a victory, and the Rafters came close to it. 

“I’m really proud of the pitching staff, the way they handled themselves after yesterday,” said Spears. “Our motto is ‘pound the stone.’ Keep cracking the stone and eventually it’s going to break. We can’t worry about the outcome, we gotta worry about the process and keep laser focused on the end goal.”

Even though they scored just twice, Wisconsin Rapids was all over the basepaths throughout the ballgame. In each of the first eight innings, they got a runner to second base or farther. And to make matters worse, they left 18 runners on base overall. They had chance after chance, and just could not execute.

In short, this was a winnable game for Wisconsin Rapids. While keeping it close against a team as talented as Wausau is no small feat, the Rafters snatched defeat out of the claws of victory in this game. They next hit the road to face Green Bay on Tuesday for a 6:35 first pitch. Andy Jachim will have the call on WFHR 97.3 FM, 1320 AM.