Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – After nearly making an improbable comeback, the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (3-6) dropped a close one with the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (4-4) Tuesday night 9-7. The Dock Spiders were led by five RBIs from Matt Hansen and six innings of one-run ball from Ethan Cole (1-0). The Rafters saw 2.2 innings from Alejandro Morales without allowing a run and 1.1 from Jafet Martinez, but the offense couldn’t make the necessary eight-run comeback to stay in it.
It was a quick start for the Dock Spiders after a 48-minute rain delay, picking up a pair of runs in the top of the first thanks to an RBI double from Hansen off Rafters starter Matthew Pinal (0-1) before an error sent home another run, making it 2-0.
The offense for the Rafters took a while to load up, but they cut the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the third when Mason Onate picked up an RBI single off Fond du Lac’s Cole.
The Dock Spiders responded in the top of the fourth with six runs, beginning with an error before Patrick Graham picked up an RBI single, Matt Hansen had a three-RBI double, and Hansen came home to score on a Landon Mensik single off Rafters reliever Tony Torres, extending the Fond du Lac lead to 8-1.
The momentum stayed in favor of the Dock Spiders for the next couple innings even as the rain intensified, with Fond du Lac adding another run in the top of the sixth thanks to Hansen’s sac fly RBI, making it 9-1.
Tides changed in the seventh inning as Fond du Lac’s Cole finally came out of the game and the Rafters put up a huge frame. It started with Royce Clayton Jr.’s RBI single off Dock Spiders reliever Luke Parise before Kameron Douglas drew a bases loaded walk to cut the deficit to six. Ashton Zacher and Jack Guerrero each followed with RBI fielder’s choices, then Pat Costin collected a two-RBI single off Parise to make it 9-7.
With the momentum now in favor of the Rafters, Wisconsin Rapids’ Morales retired two batters before Martinez worked out of the eighth scoreless.
In the bottom of the inning, the Rafters went down one-two-three, but Martinez dealt a shutout ninth as to keep it a two-run game.
The Rafters nearly finished the comeback in the bottom of the ninth with both Douglas and Guerrero reaching on singles, but Fond du Lac’s Dylan Immel struck out the last two batters to earn the save (1).
Following the matchup, the Rafters fell back 1.5 games of the Dock Spiders for fourth in the subdivision. The two squads will replay each other Wednesday night at 6:35pm. The game will be televised on NWL+ and broadcast for radio on WFHR 97.5 FM/1320 AM.