Wisconsin Rapids, WI– The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters won their fourth straight game on Wednesday night, defeating the Wausau Woodchucks by a final of 7-4. The Rafter pitching staff was excellent, allowing just four hits, while the Rafter offense once again impressed by putting up an 11-hit performance.
Despite having an off-day on Tuesday, fans at Athletic Park couldn’t tell, as the Rafters put up five runs in the top of the first inning. After Ty Johnson led off the game with a hit-by-pitch, Wausau starter Alex Wallace walked the next two hitters, Aidan Brewer and Brendan Bobo. With the bases full, Wallace threw a wild pitch, seeing Johnson score from third behind an acrobatic slide at the plate.
Following back-to-back outs by Orlando Lorduy and Aidan Brewer trying to score on a ground ball to third, James Bornick stepped up to the plate and drove an RBI double to right field, scoring Bobo from third and Galason from first. The RBI is Bornick’s first as a Rafter. But the offense wasn’t done there.
In his first at-bat as a Rafter, Jack Gifford hit a single to center field, scoring Bornick from second base. The next at-bat Kyle Carlson would double to center field, seeing Gifford score. Wisconsin Rapids put up five runs on just three hits in the visitor’s half of the first, all while sending 10 men to the dish.
Carlson would later come through for the Rafters to expand their lead, after Bornick led off the fifth inning with a single, Carlson would lace a ball down the right field line, scoring Bornick easily, and making it a 6-0 Rafter lead.
The Rafters would tack on a run (which eventually became a crucial insurance run) in the sixth inning after Ty Johnson led off the frame with a walk, a single by Brendan Bobo saw runners at the corners and only one gone for Orlando Lorduy. Lorduy crushed one into left-center field but it was caught. Johnson tagged and strolled in for the seventh run of the game for the Rafters.
Backing up that offense was phenomenal pitching by the Rafter staff. Kaleb Schulist, who made his return to the ‘Woods for the first time since 2020 on Wednesday night, and Calen Graham combined for six innings of one-run, two-hit baseball.
Graham was especially sensational, as he came out of the bullpen and threw four innings with three strikeouts, and allowed the one run of the duo. He had all of his pitches working and kept Wausau hitters off-balance all night long. After Wausau would put up three runs in the seventh inning, courtesy of a Mark Shallenberger three-run homer to right field, the Rafters turned to Deven Jones in a crucial eighth inning.
Jones got two quick outs to start the frame, a leaping catch made by Kyle Carlson at third which robbed extra bases, and a nice play on the run in the 5-6 hole made by Aidan Brewer. Jones would give up a double and two walks to see Wausau load the bases and send the go-ahead run to the plate.
But Jones buckled down and picked up the biggest strikeout of the night, as he left the bases loaded. The ninth inning wasn’t easy for the Rafters either, as with one out the game’s tying run came to the dish, but Christian Mitchelle of Wausau lined a ball into center field, Orlando Lorduy came in and made a great catch on the run, meanwhile thinking the ball had dropped, the Wausau runner Michael Adair was caught off second and his attempt to get back to the bag was too little, too late. Lorduy had doubled him off.
The Rafters’ fourth straight win keeps them in a tie for second place in the Great Lakes West, just 0.5 games behind first-place Madison.
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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]
