Rafters complete winning homestand with 8-5 victory
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. – The Rafters closed down their homestand on a positive note Sunday, defeating the La Crosse Loggers 8-5. Greyson Shafer knocked four hits, Kyler McIntosh drove in three runs, and Tristin Crusenberry spun four elite innings out of the bullpen to lead Wisconsin Rapids to victory.
Thomas Burns got the start for the Rafters, and immediately ran into trouble. He managed to escape a first and third situation unscathed in the first, but let two runs score in the second off a Bryson Stripling error and a bases-loaded walk.
Crusenberry would settle things down after that in relief, at one point retiring 12 straight in his four innings of work. He would earn the win for his efforts.
In the bottom of the second, Jake Beauchaine hit a sacrifice fly and Mason Onate drove in a run off a grounder to tie up the ballgame. The Rafters tacked on three more in the fourth in a similar fashion, with Kyler McIntosh ripping an RBI double before Beauchaine and Onate drove in one more run each to increase the lead to 5-2.
Things quieted down until the seventh inning when Carlos Anziani let two cross the plate for La Crosse, which cut their deficit to 5-4. But the Rafters got one right back on a Bryson Stripling moonshot to left field.
The two biggest insurance runs came off the bat of McIntosh again in the eighth. His single scored Trotter Boston and Shafer, and that was all the Rafters needed to close things out.
Alex Honeyman got the call for the eighth and ninth innings, allowing just one run on one hit. He retired Derrick Mitchell on a comebacker to end the game for his first save of the season.
The win bumps the Rafters back to .500 on the season at 6-6, and the Loggers down to 8-5 overall. They will travel to La Crosse to finish the home-and-home set Monday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35. Andy Jachim will have the call on WFHR – 97.5 FM, 1320 AM.
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]
