GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers left fans with a warm feeling at the end of an unseasonably cool game as they rallied past the Quad Cities River Bandits for an 8-7, walkoff win in game one of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Rattlers trailed 7-4 heading into their final at bat of game one. They scored four times with the newest member of the team coming up with the hit that led to the tying and winning runs crossing the plate.
The Timber Rattlers lost the second game 2-1.
In the first game, Quad Cities (35-18) took the lead in the top of the third inning. Tucker Bradley drove in the first run of the from with a double to left-center to score Jimmy Govern. A walk to Nick Loftin put two runners on base. Wisconsin starting pitcher Reese Olson retired the next batter on a popup and got ahead of Michael Massey with two quick strikes. The next pitch got too much of the plate and Massey hit a home run to right to give the River Bandits a 4-0 lead.
Hayden Cantrelle cut into that lead in the bottom of the third inning with a two-out, two-run double to score Carlos Rodríguez and David Hamilton. Both Rodríguez and Hamilton had walked to get on base in the inning.
Wisconsin (26-28) tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Thomas Dillard started the inning with a double. Je’Von Ward grounded a hit up the middle with one out to score Dillard and he hustled into second to make it a double. A wild pitch let Ward take third base and the River Bandits decided to bring the infield in on the grass. LG Castillo cashed in the opportunity by chopping a single over the infield to send Ward home with the tying run.
The hit by Castillo extended his hitting streak to eleven games.
Olson gave up a single and a walk to the first two batters in the top of the fifth inning. He got the next two outs and the River Bandits had runners at the corners with two outs. Massey sent a hard grounder to short right and Cantrelle made a diving stop. However, he rushed his throw to first from his knees and the toss was off target to allow Massey to reach and the go-ahead run to score from third base.
The River Bandits added to their lead in the top of the sixth against reliever Nash Walters. A walk and a bunt single started the rally. Then, Govern dropped a sacrifice bunt and Walters looked to third before throwing wildly to first to allow a run to score. Logan Porter followed with a sacrifice fly and the River Bandits had a 7-4 lead.
The winning rally in the bottom of the seventh started with a lead-off walk to Rodríguez from reliever Will Klein. Nick Kahle followed with a double and Hayden Cantrelle drew a one-out walk to load the bases and end Klein’s day.
Garrett Davila took over on the mound and fell behind Korry Howell 3-1. Howell, nearly ended the game with one swing of the bat when he hit a line drive off the top of the wall in left for a two-run double to pull Wisconsin to within a run.
The River Bandits elected to walk Dillard intentionally to load the bases and that brought Joe Gray Jr. to the plate.
Gray, who was making his Timber Rattlers debut in this game after being promoted from Carolina, sent a grounder deep in the hole at short for a game-tying single. Loftin tried to get the force play on second on Dillard, but threw wildly and that allowed Howell to score the winning run.
In the second game, the River Bandits scored two unearned runs in the top of the second inning and held on for a 2-1 victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in game two of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.
The Timber Rattlers (26-29) jumped to a lead and inflated River Bandits starter AJ Block’s pitch count in the first inning. David Hamilton reached on an infield single to start the frame. Hayden Cantrelle was next and he drew a walk to end a thirteen-pitch sequence. Thomas Dillard drove in Hamilton with a single and the Rattlers were up 1-0. Block finished the first inning 33 pitches.
Quad Cities took the lead – with a little help from the Wisconsin defense – in the top of the second inning. Eric Cole was at first with one out. John Rave hit a grounder to first and Dillard threw wildly to second for an error that allowed Cole to take third base. William Hancock was next and he hit a hard grounder to Cantrelle at second that was misplayed to let Cole score the tying run and send Rave around to third base. Tucker Bradley knocked in Rave with a sacrifice fly and the River Bandits were up 2-1.
Block settled down after the first inning and retired twelve batters in a row until walking Chad McClanahan with two outs in the fifth inning. Block got the final out of the fifth and turned the lead over to his bullpen in the bottom of the sixth. Block ended his night with 86 pitches.
Peyton Gray worked around a lead-off walk in the bottom of the sixth and went back out for the bottom of the seventh. LG Castillo reached on a one-out single in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to twelve games, but Gray got the next two batters on strikeouts to get the split in the twinbill of the River Bandits and the save for himself.
Victor Castañeda took the tough-luck loss. He allowed two hits, struck out six, and gave up two unearned runs over five innings as the Wisconsin starting pitcher.
Game three of the series is Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Carlos Luna (1-0, 0.76) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. The River Bandits have named Asa Lacy (2-4, 4.83) as their starter. Game time is 7:05pm.
