Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – The doubleheader didn’t go the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (2-8) way Wednesday as they dropped both legs to the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (6-5). The first game ended a 6-3 loss while Game 2 finished 15-9. Tristin Crusenberry (1-4) had the Rafters first quality start of the season in the earlier game while the Rafters hit three homers as a team in the later one, but neither were enough to power them to a victory.
The first game started with a run in each of the first two innings from the Dock Spiders off Rafters starter Crusenberry, although only one of them was earned.
The score remained 2-0 into the fifth inning, but Fond du Lac managed another unearned run off Crusenberry in the top of the inning to make it 3-0.
The Rafters finally had their first run of the game come home in the bottom of the sixth on a double play ball off Dock Spiders starter Stormy Rhodes (1-2), who also had a quality start by going six innings of one-run ball.
3-1 into the eighth, Ashton Poole couldn’t keep the runs from scoring as the Dock Spiders put up a three spot to make it 6-1.
The Rafters attempted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth, seeing solo home runs from both Jake Beauchaine and Junior Barajas off Dock Spiders reliever Zak White, but he was able to work out of the inning to complete the three-inning save (3).
The second game started a few hours later, and throughout the night the teams traded runs.
It was the Rafters who claimed the early lead, with Wisconsin Rapids’ leadoff man Beauchaine taking Dock Spiders starter Noah Wech deep on the first pitch he saw to make it 1-0.
Fond du Lac tied it back up in the top of the second but once again the Rafters would claim the lead in the bottom half with an RBI from Beauchaine to bring the score to 2-1.
Rafters starter Trevor Moeck was one pitch away from working out of a scoreless third, but made a mistake to Fond du Lac’s James Hankerson Jr. who didn’t miss on the pitch and sent it over the wall to knot the game 2-2.
The Dock Spiders kept the offense rolling in the top of the fourth after Preston Steiner (0-1) took over for Wisconsin Rapids’ Moeck to start the inning, piling on six runs to make it 8-2.
In the bottom of the frame, the Rafters cut the Dock Spiders lead in half with a three spot thanks to a trio of RBIs from Landon Gaz, Jake Beauchaine and Hayden Carlson.
The lead grew to 9-5 in the top of the fifth for the Dock Spiders when Taylor Freeman launched a leadoff homer off Rafters reliever Justin Battle, but Wisconsin Rapids responded with another rally thanks to a three-run blast from Gaz off Fond du Lac reliever Ryan Ament (1-0) in the bottom of the inning to make it 9-8.
Each team scored one in the sixth inning, with Eric Harper hitting his first home run as a Rafter and the team’s fifth home run of the day in the bottom half, making it 10-9.
From there, the Rafters offense went silent while the Dock Spiders added three in the seventh inning on Wisconsin Rapids reliever Brent Gallegos and another two in the ninth inning off reliever Tony Torres to bring the score to 15-9.
Ben Kasten finished the game with four innings of one-run pitching for the Dock Spiders, striking out eight batters en route to the save (1) as he locked it down in the end.
The two losses extend the Rafters losing streak to seven games and puts them three games back of Lakeshore in the subdivision. They’ll look to get back on the right track on Thursday as they take on the Green Bay Rockers as part of a two-game series at Witter Field. Thursday’s game will have first pitch at 6:35 P.M. and will be broadcast for video on NWL+ and for radio on WFHR 97.5 FM/1320 AM.