(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) GRAND CHUTE, WI – Andrew Fischer saved his best swing for the biggest moment of Friday’s game between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Quad Cities River Bandits at Neuroscience Group Field. Fischer, the #1 pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2025 draft, had been 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in his first four plate appearances of the game. In the bottom of the tenth, with Wisconsin trailing 5-4 and a runner at first base, Fischer drilled a 3-1 pitch from LP Langevin into the Rattlers bullpen for a walkoff homer in a 6-5 victory that emphatically ended a three-game losing streak.
Quad Cities (13-9) got on the scoreboard first with two runs in the top of the third inning. Yorman Galindez, the Rattlers starting pitcher, left the game with one out and runners on the corners after reaching his pitch count for the game. José Nova relieved Galindez and allowed back-to-back RBI singles to Blake Mitchell and Ramon Ramirez before getting the final two outs of the frame.
The Timber Rattlers (14-9) answered in the bottom of the third. Tayden Hall hit a solo home run to the Wisconsin bullpen with one out. Hall’s second Midwest League home run of the season was the Rattlers first hit of the game off Quad Cities starter Justin Lamkin.
Mitchell, the #1 prospect of the Kansas City Royals, added to the River Bandits lead with a two-out, solo home run in the top of the fifth off Braylon Owens.
Lamkin struck out eight over 5-2/3 innings but left with two on and two out in the sixth. Reliever Hunter Alberini walked Eric Bitonti to load the bases and Daniel Dickinson to force in Wisconsin’s second run before he got the final out of the inning.
The Timber Rattlers tied the game in the seventh inning on a chaotic play. Juan Baez was at second and Hall was at first with Nick Conte on the mound. Mitchell mishandled a pitch from Conte for a passed ball, and both runners attempted to advance. Mitchell threw to get the trail runner at second, but the ball bounded away allowing Baez to race for home to score the tying run. The throw home was also wild, and that let Hall take third. However, he would be stranded there and the inning ended with the score tied 3-3.
Owens had to work through a jam in the top of the eighth as Mitchell walked and Ramirez reached on an infield single. Wisconsin’s defense delivered with more chaos on the bases. The Rattlers played for a bunt with Eric Bitonti charging from first. Catcher Marco Dinges threw behind Ramirez at first base with second baseman Juan Baez sprinting over to take the throw. Baez ran Ramirez towards second when Mitchell broke for third. Baez threw to Fischer and Mitchell would eventually be tagged out by shortstop Daniel Dickinson for the out. Owens ended the inning with a strikeout, his tenth of the game, and – after a walk, a grounder to second.
Owens would also work a scoreless ninth inning, his sixth inning of relief, and he ended the perfect frame with his eleventh strikeout. Owens allowed one run on two hits with three walks to go along with his eleven strikeouts.
Wisconsin nearly won the game in the ninth. Josiah Ragsdale doubled to start the inning against Langevin. Three straight strikeouts ended the inning and sent the Rattlers to extra innings for the first time this season.
Jack Seppings took over on the mound for Wisconsin and hit Asbel Gonzalez as the Quad Cities outfielder squared to bunt Nolan Sailors, the placed runner at second to start the inning, over to third. Mitchell was next, and his weak grounder to third moved both runners into scoring position. Ramirez smacked a single to center to score both runners and the Bandits were up 5-3.
In the bottom of the tenth, Luis Castillo was Wisconsin’s placed runner, and he almost immediately moved to third on a wild pitch by Langevin. Josh Adamczewski drove in Castillo with a sacrifice fly. The Rattlers were down by one run and down to their last two outs.
Dinges was hit by a pitch and replaced by pinch runner Luiyin Alastre. Fischer, who had been hitless with five strikeouts in his previous seven at bats, made sure that Alastre didn’t have to run very hard. The top third base prospect in baseball blasted a 3-1 pitch from Langevin at 104.6mph over the wall for a walkoff winner. Fischer has six home runs on the season.
The walkoff home run was the first for the Rattlers since May 16, 2025 when Eduardo Garcia beat Beloit with a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh to win the second game of a doubleheader 1-0.
Game five of the series is Saturday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. J.D. Thompson, the second round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2025 draft, is scheduled to make his professional debut as the Wisconsin’s starting pitcher. The River Bandits have announced Josh Hansell (0-2, 5.73) as their starter. Game time is 1:10pm.
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