GRAND CHUTE, WI – The South Bend Cubs scored two runs in the first and four runs in the third on Tuesday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. It was enough for them to defeat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 8-4. Jonathan Long led South Bend with three hits, two walks, three runs scored, and three RBI.
The Cubs (30-40 overall, 3-1 second half) scored twice with two outs in the top of the first inning. Wisconsin starting pitcher Mark Manfredi retired the first two Cubs he faced. Then, Long singled and Brian Kalmer walked to extend the inning. Patrick Chavers drove both runners in with a triple to right-center for a 2-0 led.
South Bend extended their lead with four runs in the third inning. The first two batters reached base. Long hit a three-run home run for a 5-0 lead.
Later in the inning, Kalmer, who had been hit by a pitch and moved to second on a wild pitch, was driven across the plate on a single by Ed Howard.
Tayden Hall got the Rattlers (43-27, 1-3) on the scoreboard in the fourth and sixth innings. Hall’s RBI single in the fourth knocked in Eduardo Garcia. In the sixth, Luke Adams scored from second when Hall’s infield single was misplayed by Pedro Ramirez.
The teams traded two-run home runs in the ninth inning. Long reached base for the fifth time in the game when he walked to start the top of the ninth inning against Stiven Cruz. Chavers cracked a long home run to right for his second home run of the season. In the bottom of the ninth, Jadher Areinamo, who is on a nine-game hitting streak for the Rattlers, doubled. Felix Valerio hit a pitch from Jose Romero to the Left Field Lofts for a homer, the first for Valerio since he joined the Rattlers last week.Wisconsin had ten hits in the game but were only 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
Hall went 3-for-3 with a walk to reach base in all four of his plate appearances on Tuesday. Areinamo, who is 14-for-36 during his hitting streak, was 2-for-4 in the game to earn his 21st multi-hit game of the season.
Game two of the series is Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. Tate Kuehner (3-1, 3.20) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Erian Rodriguez (0-1, 5.40) is set to start for the Cubs. Game time is 12:10pm.
The Timber Rattlers will celebrate baseball’s Hispanic Heritage with their second Los Cascabeles de Wisconsin game of the season. Players and coaches will wear their Cascabeles uniforms for this game.
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