Rafters Pitching Pushes Winning Streak to 12
Rafters Starting and Relief Pitching Hold Kingfish to One in 2-1 Victory
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. – Baseball is meant to be a sport. Sports are meant to be fun. The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters have made the sport of baseball a whole lot more fun as they have now won 12 straight games after their 2-1 win over the Kenosha Kingfish.
As there often is in a low-scoring game, there was a lot of great pitching tonight. Rafters starter, Xavier Rivas, started the night with a stellar three innings for the Rafters. Rivas threw three innings of no-hit and scoreless baseball allowing three walks and striking out five Kingfish. Robbie Dudzinski threw two scoreless frames for the Kingfish, but then a Ben Ross RBI single in the bottom of the third broke the scoreless tie to give the Rafters a 1-0 lead.
Logan Schulfer came in the ballgame for the Rafters in the top of the fourth, firing in the Rafters fastest pitch of the season. Schulfer’s 95 MPH fastball lit up the radar gun and the fastballs were flying from there. However, in his last inning of work in the sixth, Schulfer gave up a two-out RBI double to Kenosha’s designated hitter, Kevin Bushnell, that tied the ballgame at 1-1.
However, just as the Rafters have done all season, they answered back in the bottom of the sixth, as Joe Osborn fired a two-out RBI single into left field that proved to be the game-winning hit, which lifted the Rafters to a 2-1 lead. Alec Burnett assumed the pitching duties in the seventh for the Rafters and the Kingfish made a strong push at tying the game back up. However, with two outs and the bases loaded, Burnett struck Kenosha’s Jacob Tobias on a 1-2 splitter for out number three.
Rafters reliever Josh Howitt left two runners stranded in the top of the eighth, as he struck out two of the five Kingfish he faced. Howitt would hold the Kingfish scoreless, and Preston Howey came in the ballgame in the top of the ninth looking for the save. He recorded two outs and two walks in his first four batters faced, and then Howey struck out Kenosha’s catcher, Ian Collier, on three pitches to end the ball game. Howey would get the save and Logan Schulfer received the win. Ben Ross and Stone Miyao both had multi-hit nights, each with two hits apiece. The Rafter infielders were the only two players in the game to have a multi-hit night.
The Rafters will play host to the Kenosha Kingfish again tomorrow night at 6:35 pm at Witter Field. Carter Gledhill will be broadcasting all the action live on the Northwoods League Baseball Network, and Brett Loftis will be broadcasting the game live on WFHR 1320 AM/97.5 FM.
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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’ 28th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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 280 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 (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com. 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]
