Rafters Complete 2021 Season
Wisconsin Rapids went 38-34 in the 2021 season
Wisconsin Rapids, WI – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (38-34) finished their 2021 season, on a beautiful Saturday night at Witter Field. Wisconsin Rapids had both the tying and go-ahead runners on in the bottom of the ninth, but the Wisconsin Woodchucks (44-28) won 4-2.
Rafters’ starter Donovan Brandl (Wisconsin-Whitewater) made the final start. It was his final appearance in his second season in Rapids. The left-hander retired the first nine Woodchucks he faced.
The fourth inning saw three combined runs. The Woodchucks nabbed two runs on two Rafter errors, Wisconsin Rapids responded with a double steal with McKinley Erves (LaGrange) scoring and Ben Swords (Webster) stealing second.
In the sixth, Brandl retired two Woodchucks and left the game with one in scoring position. The Rudolph, WI, native finished 5.2 innings, with six strikeouts.
Later in the inning, Brock Watkins delivered a two-run RBI single to make it a 4-1 ball game.
Nick Torres (Long Island) took the ball in the seventh. The right-hander allowed only two baserunners and earned a strikeout. Torres made 19 appearances in 2021, allowing only four earned runs.
In the seventh and eighth, Wisconsin Rapids left a combined five runners on base. The bottom of the ninth began with the first three Rafters batters reaching base. With the bases loaded, McKinley Erves was the third Rafter in the inning, to be hit by a pitch bringing the score to 4-2. A flyout ended the game.
The Rafters finished with a 19-17 record at home, on the road, and in the first and second half of the season. This was the third winning season in a row for Wisconsin Rapids.
Witter Field’s next event will be Saturday, August 28th, when Larry Fleet will perform. The concert benefits the Never Forgotten Honor Flight, and gates will open at 6 p.m. Tickets are available on raftersbaseball.com
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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]
