BY RICH PALZEWIC
CORRESPONDENT

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Bullfrogs baseball team received a fresh start the second half of the season that started July 4, but it’s yet to translate into a win.

Despite outhitting Wisconsin Rapids, the ‘Frogs (12-26 overall, 0-2 second half) dropped an 11-7 contest to the Rafters (17-20, 2-0) July 5 at Joannes Stadium in Northwoods League action.

Green Bay collected 12 hits compared to Rapids’ 9, but a leaky bullpen was too much to overcome in the team’s seventh straight loss.

The Rafters bashed three homeruns off starting pitcher Ryan Gowens (Arizona), but the senior righty also struck out nine in his five innings of work. Gowens actually left the game with a 5-4 lead, but Rapids scored seven consecutive runs in the last four innings to put the game out of reach.

“Ryan Gowens pitched well,” said Green Bay manager Kirk Shrider. “He did give up a (first inning) two-run homer, but the other two were solo shots … you don’t lose games giving up homeruns with no one on base. Ultimately, our bullpen was not good … I’m not going to sugarcoat it. We walked guys and were hitting batters on 0-2 pitches. It was a lack of focus and execution.”

Green Bay had taken that one-run lead in the fifth after Matthew Acosta (USC) led off the inning with a double and eventually scored on a wild pitch. The big blow came on a booming homerun by Preston Pavlica (Grand Canyon University) to left center.

After the Pavlica homerun, the Bullfrogs loaded the bases with one out, but failed to plate anymore runs.

“There was a definite momentum shift there,” said Shrider. “We scored a few runs that inning to take the lead, but then (Rapids) came out in the next inning and took the lead right back.”

Another key sequence for the ‘Frogs occurred in the third when they put two runners on base with nobody out, but consecutive strikeouts and a weak groundout ended the inning.

Acosta blasted a solo shot on a 3-2 pitch in the first to put the ‘Frogs on the board.

Blake Nelson (Michigan) scored in the fourth on a Cooper Morrison (UC Davis) single before Alejandro Gonzalez (Hillsborough CC) plated Morrison with another single.

Green Bay would make things interesting in the ninth by scoring two runs and having the tying run on the deck.

Acosta, Pavlica, Mihalik (Rider) and Gonzalez all had two hits.

Losing pitcher Kenny Carrillo (Golden West College), Jason Applegate (Villanova) and Travis Kuhn (San Diego) also saw action on the mount.

Green Bay is still home for the next four games, starting with game one tonight vs. Kalamazoo beginning at 6:35.

Box Score

Wisconsin Rapids: 201 102 113 – 11 9 4
Green Bay: 100 220 000 – 7 12 1