WAUSAU, WI. – The Rafters snagged their second win of the season against the Wausau Woodchucks at Athletic Park on Friday night.
Wisconsin Rapids got on the board first in the second inning with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Walker Buchanan, scoring Aidan Teel who had doubled with one out. The Woodchucks knotted the game up in the home half of the inning. Max Soliz Jr reached on an error from third baseman Greyson Shafer and scored on a fielder’s choice that Christian Smith-Johnson reached on.
Teel broke the tie in the fourth on an RBI single with two outs, which marked yet another multi-hit game for the Mahwah, NJ native.
Mason Onate announced his presence in the contest with authority to lead off the sixth inning. The infielder launched his second home run of the season over the right-field wall to extend the Rafters’ lead to 3-1.
Tracer Lopez came through for Rapids an inning later. The Texas Tech shortstop lined a two-out single into right field and plated two runs. Lopez’s two-out single in the seventh inning plated two runs, set up by a base hit from Cashel Dugger and a double by Kyler McIntosh.
Wausau made it a three-run game in the bottom half of the seventh, as an infield single from Edian Espinal made it 5-2.
Dugger collected his second hit of the game for Wisconsin Rapids with an RBI double in the eighth inning, which led to the game’s final score of 6-2.
Houston High got the start and victory for the Rafters in this one. The right-hander held Wausau hitless through 5.2 innings and only allowed one knock in his six frames of work. High allowed an unearned run and walked three. The Tennessee Tech commit did not collect a punchout on 78 pitches, as he fed his infield groundballs all night long.
Sebastian Escobar opposed High on the hill for the Woodchucks. The right-hander went 6.2 innings against the Rafter offense on his home mound. Escbobar collected the loss and allowed four runs on five hits.
Michael Pirrello slammed the door shut out of the Rafter stable. The UC Irvine product collected the final six outs and allowed just one hit. Nothing came across on Pirrello and he struck out three Woodchuck hitters on 26 pitches.
The Rafters return home Saturday to face the La Crosse Loggers at Witter Field. First pitch is slated for 6:35 in the first of the home-and-home series between the two clubs. The game can be heard live on WFHR – 97.5 FM/1320 AM with Andy Jachim and viewed on the Northwoods League Plus App with Khalin Kapoor.
