Wisconsin Rapids, WI – July 15, 2012 – A little over fourteen hours after the Rafters got knocked around in a 13-5 loss in Madison, the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters beat the Mallards in the rubbermatch of the three-game series Sunday at Witter Field. Taking a 7-0 lead early, the Rafters held on for an 8-7 victory.

The Rafters knocked starter Trevor Foss out of the game after just one inning of work. The right-hander threw 36 pitches, which by league rule means he could not return for the second inning. Wisconsin Rapids plated four in that first, getting RBIs from Pat Kelly (FR, Univ. of Nebraska) and Austin Neary (FR, Western Carolina Univ.). Kelly extended his hitting streak to 12 games and has now reached base in 20 consecutive home games.

Off of reliever Sam Forkert, the Rafters got three more in the second. Kelly and Neary again, along with the designated hitter Sean Godfrey (SO, Ball State Univ.), each knocked in a run, and it was 7-0 Wisconsin Rapids after just two innings.

Kyle Wormington (JR, Valpairso Univ.) kept the Mallards hitless through three innings. When they finally did get a hit, they strung them together. After a hit, a walk, and a hit batter, Jack Livingstone, who wasn’t even in the original starting lineup, smashed an opposite field grand slam to bring the Mallards within three runs. Wormington was pulled in the sixth after giving up his third hit of the night, a leadoff double to Tyler Marincov. The run would later score and Wormington was once again was better than his final line. The junior allowed five runs, all earned, in 5.1 innings. He allowed only one walk and three hits and struck out six.

Godfrey knocked in the eventual different-making run in the fifth, scoring Josh Cyr (JR, Univ. of North Alabama). Matt LaMothe, one of two pitchers who played the outfield for Greg Labbe’s Mallards Sunday after John Welborn and Derek Fisher were benched, doubled in the first of three runs for Madison in the sixth to make it 8-7 Rafters.

The Mallards wouln’t get any closer though. Skyler Debilzen (JR, UW-La Crosse) worked two scoreless innings, and Seth Fuller tossed a perfect ninth, picking up his seventh save. Wormington (3-3) picked up the win, and Foss took the loss (2-5).