Rafters’ Homestand Finale Spoiled By Wausau
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. – The Rafters’ four game homestand ended on a sour note Friday night, as they fell 4-3 to the undefeated Wausau Woodchucks(5-0) at Witter Field.
They were close to tying things up in the bottom of the ninth when Miles Vandenheuvel made it to second base with one out, but Woodchucks closer Seth Clausen stopped the rally in its tracks with two straight strikeouts.
Clausen was hitting 95 miles per hour on the radar gun, and set down both Max McGwire and Jack Mathey on strikes to end the game.
The Woodchucks got the scoring started in the top of the third when Val Cerna Jr. laced an RBI single and Jacob Haley ripped a two-run knock, all off of Rafters’ starter Ricky Williams. Christian Smith-Johnson, in his Northwoods League debut, drove in Haley one batter later with a single of his own to increase the Woodchucks lead to 4-0.
Williams finished his Rafters debut as the losing pitcher of record with four earned runs allowed in three innings of work. However, this game was his first competitive start since the summer of 2022, and he was sharp through the first two innings.
In the bottom of the third, Trotter Boston and Mathey smoked RBI singles to cut the deficit in half. But with just one out and two runners in scoring position, Alex Brodie and Greyson Shafer could not drive in any more runs and the score remained 4-2.
Maddox Thornton also debuted for the Rafters and he excelled, tossing four scoreless innings with just one hit allowed. Evan Parmer, also making his first appearance for Wisconsin Rapids, took the baton from Thornton and spun another two innings without yielding a run.
While the Rafters chipped away at the deficit one more time in the sixth on a passed ball that scored Tyler McClanahan, that was all they mustered against the impressive Woodchucks bullpen.
Wisconsin Rapids is now 3-2 overall after going 2-2 in their four-game homestand. They will now take a five game road trip, with stops scheduled in Wausau, Lakeshore, and Madison before returning to Witter Field on Friday, June 5, for a date with the Mallards.
On June 1, the Rafters will look for retribution on the road against Wausau at Athletic Park, with first pitch scheduled for 6:05. Andy Jachim will have the call on WFHR – 97.5 FM, 1320 AM, and the game will be streamed live on the Northwoods league plus app.
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]
