Rafters Start Michigan Road Trip in Battle Creek
Wisconsin Rapids plays four games in Michigan in four days
Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – Heading on its longest road trip to date, Wisconsin Rapids (19-4) hits the road to take on Battle Creek (14-9) in a weekend series starting on Friday at C.O Brown Stadium.
Before the road trip to Michigan for four days, the Rafters defeated Green Bay both games in a home and home series. On Thursday night, it was a combination of timely offense and pitching that carried the Rafters to a 9-1 win from Witter Field.
Both offenses got off to a fast start, first with Green Bay scoring in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly. Wisconsin Rapids did not waste time taking the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Nick Anderson reached on an error while Bryson Stott singled to put two men on. Christian Jones followed with his fourth home-run of the season to give the Rafters a 3-1 lead.
J.P. Stevenson started on the mound for the Rafters, not allowing another run through his five and a third innings.
In the bottom of the third, the Rafters tagged on two more runs with Jones and Jake Guenther driving in a run each to give the Rafters a 5-1 lead.
Guenther continued to swing the bat well in the fifth inning, launching a two-run homer to push the score to 7-1 in favor of the Rafters. Wisconsin Rapids added more insurance runs in the eighth inning as Nick Anderson drove a solo blast over the left-field wall in the two-run inning. With the victory, the Rafters won their 10th game at Witter Field this season.
Attempting to win its 10th game on the road of the season, Wisconsin Rapids send Jesse Slinger (3-0) on the mound to face Battle Creek. The right-hander has started two games and entered once in relief. Holding a 2.07 ERA, Slinger has 13 strikeouts in 17 and a third innings.
Leading the team in batting at a .368 average, Guenther has 16 runs batted in, second most on the team.
First pitch at C.O Brown Stadium is slated for 6:05 pm CT. Coverage of the game can be found on WFHR 1320 AM or WFHR.com, the Rafters Radio Network. Pregame coverage begins at 5:50 pm.
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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 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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 170 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit http://northwoodsleague.com/wisconsin-rapids-rafters/ 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.
