Rafters Can’t Catch Up After Falling Behind Early in Green Bay
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Sam Miller was the star of the show for Green Bay in the first of 12 matchups between the Rockers and Rafters this summer.
The Rocker shortstop sent a three-run homer off the left-field wall with two outs in the first inning for the game’s first runs. From there, Green Bay added another run in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly from second baseman Taylor Shultz.
Wisconsin Rapids put their first run of the game on the board in the fifth on an RBI groundout from Trent Liolios in his Rafter debut.
Green Bay plated a run back in the sixth on Miller’s second long ball of the game. The solo shot off Rafter reliever Maddox Thornton made it a 6-1 game.
The contest’s final runs came with two outs in the top of the seventh. It was Trent Liolios producing for the Rafters once again, this time with a two-run single to right field, making it a 6-3 game.
Arnad Mulamekic made his third start of the season and picked up the loss for Wisconsin Rapids. The southpaw from Siena College tossed three innings and allowed four runs on four hits. Mulamekic did not walk a Rocker hitter and struck out four while throwing 49 pitches.
Mikal Howell got the start and victory for Green Bay in the Tuesday night tilt. The right-hander tossed 6.2 innings and allowed three runs on five hits. Howell eclipsed the century mark in his pitch count, throwing 104 pitches in the win. The Southern Arkansas product walked two and struck out three in his third start of the summer.
Henry Chabot got the save for Green Bay, slamming the door shut in the ninth. The right-hander set the Rafters down in order, including strikeouts to begin and end the frame. Chabot needed just 11 pitches to seal the deal in the contest.
The Rafters return home tomorrow night to complete a home-and-home series with the Rockers. First pitch is slated for 6:35 from Historic Witter Field. The game can be heard on the radio home of Rafter Baseball, WFHR – 97.5 FM, 1320 AM and streamed live on ESPN +.
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’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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 245 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 (CHC) 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 All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). 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
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
