Wisconsin Rapids, WI— The Rafter were unable to come away with a victory tonight as they fell to the Kalamazoo Growlers 5-1. They out hit Kalamazoo 9-8, but could not get runs in.
The Growlers struck first in the top of the 4th inning as the 1st baseman, Will Furniss, smashed a ball behind the wall into deep right center to give Kalamazoo a 1-0 lead. Wisconsin Rapids got the bats going in the bottom of the inning as Chris Conniff singled to left field to put himself on base. Anthony Galason followed it up with a base hit to right field to advance Conniff to 3rd. The Indiana product, Jorge De Goti, added his 3rd Rbi of the season as he drove a ball into left field to send Coniff home. Unfortunately that’s all the scoring the Rafters did. Former Rafters MVP, Brendan Bobo made his return back to Witter Field tonight, but could not record a hit.
Josh Howitt got the start on the mound for Wisconsin Rapids and recorded 5 strikeouts and 1 run allowed. The Growlers continued their excellent offense in the top of the 6th as they had Banks Tolley double a ball into left field to put two runners in scoring position. Unfortunately with no outs, a pair of ground balls sent Taggert and Tolley home. The Growlers took a 3-1 lead and the Rafters were in trouble.
The scoring did not let up in the top of the 8th for the Growlers as Will Furniss hit his second home run to right field. The 3rd baseman, Gabe Springer, followed it up with a home run of his own to put Kalamazoo up 5-1. The Rafters were able to get a hit in the bottom of the 9th, but nothing more came from that.
It was a tough night for the Rafters as they had solid hitting, but couldn’t get those timely hits to drive in the runs that were needed. They fall to 9-7 and Kalamazoo improves to 8-8. The Rafters will have their chance at revenge tomorrow as these two teams square off once again at 6:35 right back here at Witter Field.
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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]
