FOND DU LAC, WI – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (15-13) are now 3-0 at Herr Baker Field this season, after defeating the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (16-11) 7-3 and sweeping the two-game set.
The Rafters in total had nine hits, and the Dock Spiders had four errors.
The Dock Spiders jumped on the board early, plating two runs on groundouts, after a leadoff walk and bunt single in the first.
A response came in the top of the third from the Rafters after McKinley Erves (La Grange) singled and delivered his third RBI of the series. The Dock Spiders got the run back off an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning.
In the fourth, both starters in Caden Favors (Wichita St.) for Wisconsin Rapids and Ryan Loutos for Fond Du Lac kept the score at 3-1.
The fifth began with a single from Couper Cornblum (Wichita St.) and an error by the shortstop that put aboard Addie Burrow (Virginia). EJ Exposito (Long Island) scored Cornblum on a sacrifice fly, and Burrow came around on an errant throw from third. The score was tied 3-3 after five.
Devin Rivera (Villanova) got the last out of the fifth and worked 1-2-3 innings on the mound in the sixth and seventh and allowed only one hit in the eighth.
Wisconsin Rapids broke the tie in the sixth after a botched double-play attempt from the Dock Spiders scored one, and an error at third produced the other.
The eighth was the third two-run inning for the Rafters, as Cornblum, who went 5-5, hit an RBI double and Josh Nicoloff (Columbia) an RBI groundout.
Rivera forced a 4-6-3 double play to finish the game. He earned his second win in his longest outing of the year, as he completed 4.1 innings scoreless.
The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters begin a home and home against the Madison Mallards, tomorrow Monday, June 28th, at Witter Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM. The game can be heard on WFHR AM 1320 and seen on the Northwoods League Baseball Network.
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The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 250 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.raftersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rafters as your favorite team
