Rafters blast two home runs in third straight win

For the Rapids City Times

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters put up eleven hits on the Kenosha Kingfish at Simmons Field, scoring eight times to win by a final of 8-1.

The Rafters started the scoring in the third as Matt Schmidt (Michigan) led off the inning with a base hit, advanced to second on a walk to Jarrod Watkins (Indiana State), and reached third on a bunt single from Steven Rivas (Long Beach State). With the bases loaded and no outs in the third, Schmidt scored on a 6-3 double play and Watkins moved to third. Jack-Thomas Wold (UNLV) scored Watkins via a base hit to center field for a 2-0 lead after two and a half innings.

Wisconsin Rapids hit pay dirt again in the sixth. After Wold snagged his second base hit of the night, Brody Wofford (UCF) nailed a home run to right field to give the cranberry and gold a 4-0 advantage. Ethan Stringer (Louisville) scored a run for Wisconsin Rapids in the seventh frame after a pinch-hit single. Stringer reached home off an RBI fielder’s choice from Steven Rivas. Two more runs crossed in the eighth as Wofford scored on an error committed by Kenosha and Jordan Wiley (Kalamazoo College) plated Mitch Mallek (St. Cloud State) with an RBI single. Jack-Thomas Wold added the eighth and final run to the board in the ninth as he went yard with a solo shot to right field to make it 8-1.

Kenosha scored their only run in the bottom of the seventh as Devin Ortiz hit an inside-the-park home run on a ball that got lost in centerfield and went to the wall.

Brecken Lewis (1-0, 2.53 ERA) earned the win in his first start with the Rafters. Lewis put in a quality start throwing six innings of scoreless ball, allowing four hits and fanning four. Kaleb Schmidt (0-1, 2.70 ERA) earned the loss giving up two runs in five innings. He struck out four as well.