Royal Oak, Mich. – Pitching dominated the narrative Thursday night as the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (11-20) got back in the win column with a 3-1 victory over the Royal Oak Leprechauns (13-19). The win helped the Rafters avoid a season sweep from the Leprechauns and improved the team to 4-3 over their last seven games. Starter Noah Marschke and reliever Anthony Mateo (1-2) were the only two pitchers in the game for Wisconsin Rapids, each going more than four innings, while the offense was powered by Gunnar Myro’s big day.
After a shutout first inning from both Wisconsin Rapids’ Marschke and Royal Oak starter Aidan Donovan (1-2), it was the Rafters who took the early lead. They scored all three of their runs in the top of the second thanks to Gunnar Myro’s three-run homer off Donovan, giving Wisconsin Rapids a 3-0 lead.
Myro finished his night going 3-4 from the plate with the three RBIs and run scored.
From there, Donovan found his footing, allowing no runs the rest of the game. On the Rafters side, Marschke allowed just one hit before he was pulled in the top of the fifth following a one-out walk. Anthony Mateo relieved him and retired the next two batters to keep the shutout intact.
In the top of the seventh, Royal Oak’s Donovan was finally pulled from the game after loading the bases with 105 pitches, but Grant Moczydlowsky was able to retire the next batter on one pitch to get out of the inning scoreless.
In the bottom of the seventh, the shutout was finally spoiled by the Leprechauns thanks to an RBI sac fly from Aidan Schuck off Wisconsin Rapids’ Mateo, cutting the lead to 3-1.
Mateo followed with a perfect eighth inning and came back out for the bottom of the ninth, allowing just a leadoff single before finishing the game one, two, three.
The win built a 1.5-game cushion over the Lakeshore Chinooks in the Great Lakes West as the Rafters inch closer to struggling Fond du Lac. Next up, Wisconsin Rapids will hit the road for Traverse City, where they will take on the Pit Spitters for a two-game series. The first game is scheduled for 7:05 P.M. ET on Friday and will be broadcast for video on NWL+ and for radio on WFHR 97.5 FM/1320 AM.