Big inning leads to rafter depletion in first game of doubleheader against Wausau

Big inning leads to rafter depletion in first game of doubleheader against Wausau

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. – A huge inning for the Wausau Woodchucks led them to a win over the Rafters in the first game of a doubleheader at Witter Field on Thursday afternoon.

The Woodchucks opened the scoring in the game with an RBI single by Colin Bruggeman in the first frame. Wisconsin Rapids responded with a three-spot in the bottom half. Jack Mathey tied the score at one with a groundout to first. Greyson Shafer rounded the bases one batter later with a two-run homer, his fourth of the season.

Wisconsin Rapids would score another long ball in the second inning courtesy of Trotter Boston. The shortstop’s two-out solo shot made it 4-1 Rafters.

Wausau got a run back in the fourth with a home run of its own, with Colin Bruggeman leaving the yard for his third round tripper of the campaign in just seven games.

The biggest frame of the game came in the top of the fifth. Wausau sent 14 batters to the plate and scored nine times. After taking their walks, left fielder Isaac Webb hit a grand slam to make it 11-4 at that point.

The Rafters added a pair in the sixth inning to make it 11-6. However, a solo homerun by Max Galvin in the eighth inning extended the lead to 12-6, putting the game out of reach.

Maddox Thornton got the start for Wisconsin Rapids in this game. The right-handed pitcher threw four innings and allowed two runs on six hits. He faced 20 batters, struck out none and walked none.

Brandon Scott replaced Thornton on the mound and was blamed for the loss for the Rapids. The left-hander couldn’t score an out in the fifth, allowing six runs (five earned) on two hits.

Grant Siegel got the start and the win for Wausau. The right-hander threw five innings and allowed four runs on six hits. Siegel walked no Rafter and struck out five batters on 78 pitches.

The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are members of the premier 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. Now in its 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 teams, attracting significantly more fans, in a friendly baseball experience, than any other league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office personnel, more than 245 Northwoods League players have gone on to play in 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 (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG), and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). Alongside 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). All regular season games can be watched live via the Northwoods League website. All regular season games can be watched live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.raftersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App from the Apple App Store or Google Play and set the Rafters as your favorite team

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