Rafters Shutout at Witter Field
Hoppe tossed eight scoreless, Seidl battles for Rafters in final outing

Wisconsin Rapids, WI – August 11, 2012 – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (10-24-1, 26-42-1 overall) kept the dangerous Lakeshore Chinooks (18-16, 35-34 overall) at bay on Saturday but couldn’t muster much offensively. In front of another huge crowd, this time of 1541 at Witter Field, the Rafters fell to the Chinooks 4-0 in the season’s penultimate contest.

Jason Hoppe was nothing short of remarkable. The right-hander threw eight scoreless innings against the Rafters on just three hits and a walk. He struck out seven and allowed multiple runners in an inning only twice. At one point, Hoppe retired 16 in-a-row. He commanded the zone, tossing 74 of his 104 pitches for strikes. Only three batters worked a three-ball count against the sophomore from Minnesota State.

Cam Seidl (JR, UW-Stevens Point), making just his second start of the second-half, was hit around a bit in the early going, but really settled into a groove. A run came home in the first on two Lakeshore base-knocks. In the third, with two outs, the Chinooks got back-to-back RBI base-hits. A single from Ryan Krill made it 2-0, and Connor Lynch’s two-run double, the only extra base hit of the night for either side, made it 4-0.

After that, Seidl set down ten of the next eleven batters. In his longest outing of the season, the Pointer fired 6.1 innings, allowing the four runs on seven hits and four walks. Striking out seven, the second highest total for him in an outing this season, the right-hander ate innings, saving the Rafters bullpen and keeping the game within reach.

JP Feyereisen (FR, UW-Stevens Point) relieved his collegiate teammate for the second time this season. With 2.2 scoreless innings, Feyereisen extended his scoreless streak to 7.2 innings. He has allowed only two hits in that span.

The Rafters got Hoppe out of the game after eight, as he reached the Northwoods League pitch count rule of 100+ pitches. They could not rally off of closer Tyler Sparger. Pat Kelly (FR, Univ. of Nebraska) singled and Alex Bacon (SO, Univ. of North Florida) drew a two-out walk, but Nick Ammirati (JR, Mississippi State Univ.), the team’s leading hitter in the month of August, struck out to end the game in a 4-0 defeat.

Ammirati, going 1-for-3, extended his hitting streak to seven, a season-high for him. Josh Cyr also continued his hit streak, making it eight straight games with a hit going 1-for-4, which ties him with a similar stretch from early this season.

Sunday marks the final time the 2012 Rafters team will take the field. The historic bunch has broke numerous franchise records, including the most wins in team history (26). Kenny Towns (FR, Univ. of Virginia, 0-2, 4.50 ERA) gets the ball for the home team in the season’s final game. Nick Soldano (5-4, 3.33 ERA) starts for Lakeshore, in the finale of the Chinooks inaugural campaign. First pitch from Witter Field Sunday is scheduled for 5:05 pm.

COURTESY WISCONSIN RAPIDS RAFTERS