Ben Swords Goes 4-5 in Rafters Debut
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (2-2) blasted 14 hits in a 7-3 win and sweep of a two-game set against the Green Bay Booyah (0-4).
The Rafters started the scoring in the second after Ben Swords (Webster), who roped a double, was brought in by Lance Gardiner (Saddleback). Josh Nicoloff (Columbia) added a single to bring home Gardiner and gave the Rafters a 2-0 advantage.
Through the second to the fourth inning, Rafters’ starter Ben Schoneman (Colorado School of Mines) allowed no hits. He went five innings and gave up only three hits in his season debut.
Wisconsin Rapids added two more in the fifth inning as Garrett Callaghan (Rutgers) plated Blake Mann (St. Mary’s) on a single and Angelo D’Acunto (Holy Cross) brought home Swords on a sacrifice fly.
In the sixth, Weston Eberly (Columbia) singled and the pinch runner in Reeve Holley (Cal Baptist) stole second. Pinch-hitter Elijah Dickerson singled to score Holley. With Booyah reliever Trent Polley still in, Swords looked for his fourth hit of the game.
“The at-plate approach remained the same, adjusting to the strike count and putting together good at-bats,” said Swords.
Swords delivered the seventh run of the game and first home run of the season for the Rafters over the left-field fence.
Returner Donovan Brandl (Wisconsin-Whitewater) entered the game in the sixth. He faced trouble in the eighth, allowing three singles in a row and a fielder’s choice to bring home three runs. He ended the inning with a strikeout, one of three, and got three more outs in the ninth.
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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]
