(TIMBER RATTLERS) – GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers earned their first win of the season with a 7-6 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels in front of a 5,001 fans on Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. Blake Burke, the Milwaukee Brewers competitive balance pick in the 2024 draft, went 3-for-4 with three RBI and his first professional home run. Jadher Areinamo added a homer and three RBI for Wisconsin
The Kernels (2-1) started the game with a windblown triple to center by their lead-off batter Kaelen Culpepper. Wisconsin starting pitcher Chandler Welch got the first out on a strikeout and the second out when Culpepper tried to score on a grounder back to the mound off the bat of Brandon Winokur.
Welch was one pitch away from getting out of the inning with a 2-2 count on Billy Amick. However, Amick laced a double to left-center to drive in Winokur. Later in the inning, Gabriel Gonzalez doubled when the ball popped out of the glove of Yhoswar Garcia, who was trying to make a diving catch in left. Amick scored on the play and the Kernels were up 2-0.
Wisconsin (1-2) responded immediately in their half of the first. Yophery Rodriguez, who had trouble with Culpepper’s fly ball to start the game, got a little redemption as he tripled to start Wisconsin’s rally. Burke put the Rattlers on the scoreboard with a line drive single to right to score Rodriguez. Areinamo, the third Wisconsin hitter of the inning, crushed a 2-1 pitch from Kernels starter Tanner Hall off the scoreboard for a two-run homer and a 3-1 lead.
Cedar Rapids tied the game on a two-out single by Kyle DeBarge in the second. They took the lead in the third when Amick tripled to start the frame. Khadim Diaw drove in Amick with a sacrifice fly.
The Rattlers evened the score in the bottom of the third. Rodriguez had a lead-off double, Burke moved him to third with a ground out, and Areinamo drove him in with a grounder to second.
Burke put Wisconsin in front with a 434-foot home run to right-center in the bottom of the fifth. Hall got the first two outs of the inning and was ahead of Burke 1-2. Then, Burke jumped on the next offering and smashed the baseball to the flagpoles beyond the wall in right-center, the deepest part of the ballpark.
Cedar Rapids tied the score again in the top of the seventh inning against Patricio Aquino. Amick started the inning with a double, his third hit of the game. Gabriel Gonzalez doubled with one out to drive in Amick. The Kernels loaded the bases with one out on a walk and hit batsman. However, Aquino escaped by getting Kyle Hess to ground into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
There were none on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning for Wisconsin. Rodriguez changed that when he drew a walk on the 3-2 pitch from Jack Noble. Rodriguez was running on an 0-1 pitch to Burke and scored easily when Burke’s blooper to left spun past Gonzalez for an RBI double.
The Kernels threatened again in the top of the eighth as a double by pinch-hitter Danny De Andrade and an error by Eduardo Garcia put runners on first and second with no outs. Wisconsin called on Yerlin Rodriguez to get out of the jam and the right-handed reliever struck out the next three batters to preserve the win.
Wisconsin was looking for insurance in the bottom of the eighth, but once again had none on with two outs. Then, Tayden Hall ripped a double to right and Hedbert Perez cracked a triple to right-center for a 7-5 lead.
Gonzalez gave Cedar Rapids some hope with a lead-off home run in the top of the ninth. However, Yerlin Rodriguez closed out the game by retiring the next three batters in order for his first save of the season. Rodriguez struck out four in his two innings of work to close out Wisconsin’s first win of the season.
The Kernels had twelve hit, including nine for extra bases (six doubles, two triples, and a homer), but went 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position. Wisconsin had eight hits seven of them going for extra bases (three doubles, two triples, and two homers).
The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday. They will return to action on Tuesday with their first road game of the season when they start a series with the Quad Cities River Bandits at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa. Wisconsin has named Tyson Hardin as their starting pitcher. The Bandits are scheduled to start Logan Martin.
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