For the City Times  

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters got back in the win column on July 19 in La Crosse, 8-3, and closed down a two-game sweep of the La Crosse Loggers on July 20, with a 10-1 win.

Wisconsin Rapids took down the Loggers Monday on the back of the pitching staff, who struck out 13 batters and walked none.

Chris McElvain got the start for the Rafters and continued to thrive on the Witter Field mound. The Vanderbilt Commodore struck out seven, allowing an unearned run in the fifth. McElvain’s ERA is still at 0.00 through 17.1 innings pitched for the Rafters. The bullpen combination of Brandon Siegenthaler, Ricky Castro, and Hunter Waldis added six strikeouts to the tally to shut the door.

The Rafters got started in the first with two runs in the first with a run on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly. The Rafters would lead for the rest of the night. In the fifth, the Rafters responded to a run in the top half of the inning, with a sac fly from Richie Schiekofer, scoring Roman Trujillo for the third Rafters run of the night.

The Rafters then erupted with five runs in the sixth, getting runs on three hits to take an 8-1 lead. Wisconsin Rapids got two more in the seventh on a sac fly by Jacob Hinderleider.

The Rafters improved to 14-6 with the win, and were first in the WI-IL Pod. The Loggers fell to 9-11.

The Rafters return to action on July 22 in Wausau. Coverage of the Rafters and Woodchucks starts at 6:20 p.m. on AM 1320 WFHR.