By Lance Roth

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. — The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (6-10) used back-to-back home runs from Connor Harvie and David Ketterman in the second inning, while a strong pitching performance and shutdown bullpen effort helped the Rafters defeat the Lakeshore Chinooks 4-3 Sunday afternoon at Historic Witter Field to keep the series alive.

The Rafters offense totaled 11 hits on the afternoon, with Harvie and Ketterman providing the biggest swings of the game. Harvie and Ketterman went back-to-back in the second inning, with Harvie launching his fourth home run of the season before Ketterman followed with a solo blast of his own, his third home run of the year, giving Wisconsin Rapids a 2-0 lead. 

The Rafters added two more runs in the third and sixth innings after Danny Gavin singled to left field in the third, stole second base, and came around to score on an RBI single from Esteban Olazaba. Carter Bennett later delivered an RBI single in the sixth inning to extend the Rafters’ advantage to 4-3.

While the offense provided the early power, the Rafters pitching staff kept Lakeshore within reach before closing out the win. Jackson Molloy delivered his best performance on the mound this season, tossing five innings while allowing three runs on five hits with one strikeout. After Molloy exited, Casey Dresen earned the win by throwing 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out one.

Noah Marschke finished off the victory in the ninth inning, striking out one batter while allowing just one hit to earn his first save of the season. The Rafters bullpen combined for four scoreless innings to preserve the one-run victory.

Lakeshore cut into the deficit in the third inning when Casey Robinson connected on a two-run home run to bring the Chinooks within one. Robinson struck again in the fifth with a double before scoring on an RBI single by Sam Myers.

With the win, Wisconsin Rapids avoided the sweep and kept the series alive after dropping the first two games on the road against the Chinooks, falling 1-2 and 6-7. Sunday’s victory featured one of the most complete performances of the season from the Rafters.

The victory also marked the final game for Dylan Frank, who leaves Wisconsin Rapids as one of the team’s top offensive performers this season. Frank led the Rafters in both home runs and RBIs, finishing with six home runs and 34 RBIs while providing a consistent presence in the middle of the lineup throughout the year.

The Rafters will look to continue building momentum after Sunday’s finishing off the series against Lakeshore. Final game of the series is tomorrow with first pitch scheduled at 6:35 p.m. at Historic Witter Field.