Rafters Drop Shootout to Mallards at Duck Pond

Wisconsin Rapids outhit Madison 14 to 10 

Madison, WI – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (26-31) were outslugged in a back and forth 11-7 loss to the Madison Mallards (28-27) on a cloudy evening at Warner Park.

The Rafters hit the ground running. Four hits plated three runs in the first inning, Couper Cornblum (Wichita State) had an RBI single, and Addie Burrow (Virginia) chopped a ball up the middle into centerfield to score two.

After Rafters’ starter Nathan Hemmerling (Lakeland) threw a scoreless nine-pitch first, the Mallards responded with four runs on four hits in the second. Madison tacked on two in the third, on a two-run home run. Hemmerling finished the third and his outing with his second strikeout.

Wisconsin Rapids evened up the score in the top of the fourth. A McKinley Erves (LaGrange) single, Cornblum walk, and E.J. Exposito (Long Island) sacrifice fly, made it 6-6.

Madison’s Alex Iadisernia grabbed the lead right back. The left-fielder crushed a three-run home run deep over the right-field wall, his now league-leading tenth long ball of the season.

The Rafters attained bases loaded, in the fifth with no outs. Two flyouts and a pickoff ended the inning with no runs. Wisconsin Rapids left two on base in the next three innings.

Nick Torres (Long Island) in relief allowed one run in two innings of work while Colin Kiernan (Kean) tossed a scoreless eighth for the Rafters who trailed 11-6 entering the ninth.

E.J. Exposito began the inning with a blast over the left-field wall. It was Exposito’s first home run of the season, 28th RBI, and capped off a 3 for 3 night. Wisconsin Rapids only earned one more baserunner.

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