Fond du Lac, Wis. – Jace Barajas and the pitching staff dominated for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (5-15) Wednesday night, claiming a 2-1 victory over the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (10-11). A shutout through the first half of the game, the Dock Spiders eventually scored first, but the Rafters put up the needed runs late to take the win. Wisconsin Rapids starter Jace Barajas went five innings with nine strikeouts and one run allowed while Justin Battle (2-0) followed with three shutout innings and four strikeouts before Tony Torres closed it down.
Fond du Lac starter Noah Tschopp and Wisconsin Rapids’ Barajas traded shutout innings from the start, going into the fifth inning still knotted at zero.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Dock Spiders finally broke the deadlock with their second hit of the game, an RBI double from Tommy Googins off Wisconsin Rapids’ Barajas that made it 1-0.
The Rafters responded with a run of their own in the top of the sixth inning when Landon Gaz smoked an RBI double to right field off Fond du Lac’s Tschopp, tying the game at 1-1.
Wisconsin Rapids’ Battle took over for Barajas in the bottom of the sixth and carried the momentum over, striking out two in a shutdown inning.
Samuel Moses (0-1) relieved Fond du Lac’s Tschopp to start the seventh, but after a scoreless inning, the Rafters finally got on the board in the top of the eighth after loading the bases on Moses. He was pulled from the game with two outs and Mason Bright took over, but Moses walked Wisconsin Rapids’ Eric Harper to send home the go-ahead run and make it 2-1.
Wisconsin Rapids’ Battle continued his success with a shutout eighth and handed it off to Torres in the ninth. The Rafters righty struck out the first batter he saw and after a one-out walk, struck out the last two as well to earn his sixth save of the season.
The win snapped a short, two-game skid for the Rafters as they inch closer to the Lakeshore Chinooks in the Great Lakes West standings. The Rafters will take on the division-leading Wausau Woodchucks up next, playing a home-and-home series starting on the road. The first game will be at Wausau on Thursday and the game will be broadcast for video on NWL+ and for radio on WFHR 97.5 FM/1320 AM.