{"id":17633,"date":"2026-06-12T11:04:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T16:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/?p=17633"},"modified":"2026-06-12T11:04:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T16:04:22","slug":"i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/","title":{"rendered":"“I Knew I Was Due.” Jack Zeller’s Walkoff Lifts the Rafters Over the Battle Jacks, 9-8."},"content":{"rendered":"
By Christian Pagan<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Wisconsin Rapids, WI – With one out and two runners on in the 9th, Jack Zeller stepped into the batter\u2019s box, with the game tied, 8-8. Coming into this at-bat, Zeller was three for his first 33 and had a chance to regain some confidence. In a lefty-lefty matchup, Zeller would charge a high fastball deep to left center, bringing home Nico DeFazio, and walking off the Battle Creek Battle Jacks, 9-8, for the team’s first win at Witter Field this season. His teammates mobbed him, and they celebrated together in shallow center field.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
What wasn\u2019t mentioned was what all occurred before the conclusion of the game. Yesterday included two tarp pulls thanks to a 95-minute rain delay, a 3rd inning power outage that affected half of the stadium, and a baseball game that totaled five hours and nine minutes.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
It all started with Battle Creek scoring twice in the first to kickstart the 17-run affair. Battle Jacks INF Jake Stedman extended his hitting streak to 13-games with an RBI single in the frame. The Rafters responded in the bottom of the frame with two runs of their own. INF Nico DeFazio and OF Zachary Gingrich both drew walks with the bases loaded.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Battle Creek would regain the lead in the second, thanks to a four-run inning, headlined by a three-run homer from SS Brendan Thompson. The bottom frame saw the Rafters add three runs, including a two-run double from Zachary Gingrich.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Ahead 6-5 in the fourth, Battle Creek\u2019s Brendan Thompson would go yard again, this time with a solo shot for his second home run of the game. In the bottom half of the inning, the Rafters would tie the game at seven, taking advantage of an error committed by Battle Creek and another RBI from Zachary Gingrich.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In the 6th, Rafters INF Nico DeFazio would blast his first home run of the season, giving the Rafters their first lead of the night, 8-7. The Rafters would hold the lead all the way until the 9th, when Battle Creek\u2019s Jake Stedman brought in the game-tying run with a sacrifice fly. Jack Zeller would then end the game with his walk-off hit.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Rafters’ pitcher Braden Burness recorded his first win of the season while Battle Creek\u2019s Jacob Janisko collected his first loss of the season.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Rafters (4-10) look to sweep the Battle Jacks (7-10) on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05pm.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Christian Pagan Wisconsin Rapids, WI – With one out and two runners on in the 9th, Jack Zeller stepped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[775,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-stories","category-team-news"],"yoast_head":"\n"I Knew I Was Due." Jack Zeller's Walkoff Lifts the Rafters Over the Battle Jacks, 9-8. - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""I Knew I Was Due." Jack Zeller's Walkoff Lifts the Rafters Over the Battle Jacks, 9-8.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Christian Pagan Wisconsin Rapids, WI – With one out and two runners on in the 9th, Jack Zeller stepped [...]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wisconsin Rapids Rafters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-12T16:04:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin-wisconsin-rapids\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin-wisconsin-rapids\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/\",\"name\":\"\\\"I Knew I Was Due.\\\" Jack Zeller's Walkoff Lifts the Rafters Over the Battle Jacks, 9-8. - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-12T16:04:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/#\/schema\/person\/0d30f20430fedd89f3e0aa8c7f0682bd\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"“I Knew I Was Due.” Jack Zeller’s Walkoff Lifts the Rafters Over the Battle Jacks, 9-8.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/\",\"name\":\"Wisconsin Rapids Rafters\",\"description\":\"Where Our Community Comes Together\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/#\/schema\/person\/0d30f20430fedd89f3e0aa8c7f0682bd\",\"name\":\"admin-wisconsin-rapids\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/119e41625e0a5b01f45cdcc305652a5f1892da2cb0af763b974d6d9448910337?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/119e41625e0a5b01f45cdcc305652a5f1892da2cb0af763b974d6d9448910337?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin-wisconsin-rapids\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/author\/admin-wisconsin-rapids\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"I Knew I Was Due.\" Jack Zeller's Walkoff Lifts the Rafters Over the Battle Jacks, 9-8. - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"I Knew I Was Due.\" Jack Zeller's Walkoff Lifts the Rafters Over the Battle Jacks, 9-8.","og_description":"By Christian Pagan Wisconsin Rapids, WI – With one out and two runners on in the 9th, Jack Zeller stepped [...]","og_url":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/","og_site_name":"Wisconsin Rapids Rafters","article_published_time":"2026-06-12T16:04:22+00:00","author":"admin-wisconsin-rapids","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin-wisconsin-rapids"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/","url":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/","name":"\"I Knew I Was Due.\" Jack Zeller's Walkoff Lifts the Rafters Over the Battle Jacks, 9-8. - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-06-12T16:04:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/#\/schema\/person\/0d30f20430fedd89f3e0aa8c7f0682bd"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/2026\/06\/12\/i-knew-i-was-due-jack-zellers-walkoff-lifts-the-rafters-over-the-battle-jacks-9-8\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"“I Knew I Was Due.” Jack Zeller’s Walkoff Lifts the Rafters Over the Battle Jacks, 9-8."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/#website","url":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/","name":"Wisconsin Rapids Rafters","description":"Where Our Community Comes Together","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/#\/schema\/person\/0d30f20430fedd89f3e0aa8c7f0682bd","name":"admin-wisconsin-rapids","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/119e41625e0a5b01f45cdcc305652a5f1892da2cb0af763b974d6d9448910337?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/119e41625e0a5b01f45cdcc305652a5f1892da2cb0af763b974d6d9448910337?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin-wisconsin-rapids"},"url":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/author\/admin-wisconsin-rapids\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17634,"href":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17633\/revisions\/17634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/wisconsin-rapids-rafters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}