The Rafters put their unbeaten record against Wisconsin on the line
Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – With just two games separating the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (30-16, 6-4) from the Northwoods League All-Star Break, the club will take to the road for their final regular-season trip to Wausau. Beginning on Saturday night, the Rafters will collide with the Wisconsin Woodchucks (19-26, 6-4) for a two-game series.
After a strong performance from left-handed starter Cal Giese (St. Cloud State) Friday night, the Rafters will look to another southpaw on Saturday as they seek to quiet a potent Woodchuck lineup. Jake Repavich (Grand Canyon) is slated to earn the start for the Rafters, his fifth starting nod and sixth overall appearance this summer. To this point, Repavich has been plagued by tremendously poor luck, pushing him to an 0-2 record despite owning a 1.68 ERA. Repavich, who primarily pitches to contact, has struck out only eight batters compared to 10 walks in 26 2/3 innings on the hill. Most notably, Repavich has surrendered 16 runs this season, of which only five have been earned. Entering Saturday night, Repavich and the Rafters hope that the defensive backing offered to Repavich improves. In his last outing, Repavich pitched a season-high 6 2/3 innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks, collecting two strikeouts.
The Woodchucks will offer resistance in the form of Reggie Meyer (Minnesota), a right-hander that is expected to start for the third time this season. Following his debut on the Fourth of July, Meyer has compiled a record of 0-1 and a 4.90 ERA in 11 innings of labor. Like Repavich, Meyer primarily works to contact, having struck out only six batters while issuing five walks. The Woodchucks look to Meyer to reverse their course against the Rafters, having fallen to Wisconsin Rapids in the first four meetings of the season series. Wisconsin is paced by a series of strong bats, led by outfielder Steele Walker, whose .387 batting average sits atop the Northwoods League leaderboard.
First pitch from Athletic Park will be at 6:35 PM with radio coverage beginning at 6:20 PM on WFHR 1320 AM.
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The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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, more than 150 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). 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 and set the Rafters as your favorite team.
