Northwoods Wisconsin Rapids Rafters

Home Runs Lift Woodchucks over Rafters

July 18, 2013 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Wisconsin Rapids Rafters News Release


Wisconsin Rapids, WI- Brandon Schmidt made his longest start of the season, tossing seven complete frames, but Tyler Steib and Jake Jefferies each added home runs, as the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (24-26, 5-10) dropped a heart breaker Thursday evening at Witter Field to the Wisconsin Woodchucks (23-27, 10-6), 5-3.

For the second-straight evening, Steib led the game off by reaching on a single to left field to open the game and Jefferies followed with a big two-run home run to put the Woodchucks on the board, 2-0. The Rafters have now allowed six runs in the first inning in their last three ballgames and have been outscored by a run differential of minus-15 in the first frame this year.

The game would move along quickly until the fourth inning when Robbie Coman reached on a single and Jackson Slaid doubled down the right field line, his eighth of the season, to give the Rafters runners at second and third. Derek Peake brought the Rafters first run around on a ground ball to the second basemen, Jake Jefferies, to score Coman from third to score the Rafters first run and bring the score to within one at 2-1. Zack Belanger tied the game on an RBI single to right to plate Slaid and even the score, 2-2.

The Woodchucks had an answer all night as Garrett Rucker responded with a double in the fifth and Jefferies brought him around to score on a single to give the Woodchcucks the lead, 3-2. The RBI was the third of the evening for Jefferies in his third at-bat. Jefferies later departed the game in the sixth with an injury.

The lead grew in the sixth inning after Brandon Krieg reached on a hit-by-pitch and Levi Meyer followed with an infield hit to open up the sixth inning. Krieg would come around to score on the second wild pitch of the inning, extending the lead, 4-2.

Derek Peake helped inch the Rafters closer in the sixth inning when the Waukesha, WI., product, playing in his first game since June 30, reached on a triple to center field that just got by the diving glove of Tyler Steib. The triple was the first extra-base hit of the season for Peake who would come around to score on an RBI single by Belanger, his second of the day.

Schmidt earned his second tough-luck loss of the season in as many starts as the Central Arkansas Bear tossed seven inning for the first time this season while issuing eight hits and four runs. Schmidt became the first Rafter this season to twirl more than a 100 pitches in a ballgame.

The loss was the second-straight for Wisconsin Rapids and came one-night after Woodchucks stater, Matt Ditman, shutout the Rafters for the first time this season. The loss was just the second in the season for the Rafters against the Woodchucks this season after Wisconsin Rapids claimed the first seven games of the season between the two squads.

The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters will hit the road Friday night for the final game of the three-game series at Athletic Park when the Rafters visit the Wisconsin Woodchucks. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Athletic Park and fans can listen to Thursday night's broadcast by tuning into the radio broadcast on WFHR AM 1320.

The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are members of the 16-team summer collegiate Northwoods League. The Rafters will play a 70 game schedule with 35 home games in 2013. Available quantities of all promotional giveaways will vary from event to event and will be available on a first come, first serve basis.  The best way to guarantee giveaway items is to purchase a 9-Game Package.  The offseason office hours are Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm.  For more information, visit www.raftersbaseball.com.



Northwoods League Stories from July 18, 2013


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