For the City Times

FOND DU LAC – The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (5-2) took sole possession of first place in the Great Lakes West Division with a 5-0 win over the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (4-3) on July 9.

Gareth Stroh pitched seven shutout innings and struck out eight batters to shut down the Fond du Lac batting order. Osvaldo Tovalin and Roman Trujillo both had RBIs in the victory.

After going scoreless in the first inning, the Rafters scored one run in each of the next five innings to take a 5-0 lead. Izzy Fuentes pitched two clean innings in the eighth and ninth to close out the game for Wisconsin Rapids.

Fond du Lac starter Aaron Ball Jr. gets the loss in five innings of work. The Rafters are now 7-2 against the Dock Spiders this season and finish the five-game road trip with three wins. Wisconsin Rapids now leads the league with seven shutouts this season.