(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers could not find the final out of the sixth inning against the Peoria Chiefs on Saturday night at Neuroscience Group Field and it would cost them. Peoria scored five times with two outs in the sixth to push their lead from 3-1 to 8-1 on the way to an 8-3 victory over the Rattlers.
Peoria (24-26) took a 2-0 lead on back-to-back home runs by Jesús Báez Jack Gurevitch. Báez hit the first pitch from Wisconsin starting pitcher Jason Woodward out for his tenth home run of the season. Gurevitch drove a 1-1 pitch out of the ballpark for the early two-run advantage.
Wisconsin (25-22) got on the scoreboard without a hit in the bottom of the second. Eric Bitonti walked and stole second. Tayden Hall moved Bitonti to third with a grounder to second. Luis Castillo knocked in Bitonti with another grounder to second.
Báez started another rally for the Chiefs when he blooped a double to right with one out in the third inning. Jalin Flores cashed in the chance with a two-out single to right to score Báez.
The Timber Rattlers had three walks and a single in the bottom of the third but could not score. The key play happened when Josiah Ragsdale was thrown out trying to go first to third on a single to center by Jose Cordoba for the second out. Peoria starter Jacob Odle walked the next two batters to load the bases before getting the final out.
The Chiefs pulled away in their half of the sixth inning against reliever Ayendy Bravo. Josh Kross, who started the inning with a walk, was at third with two outs. Jesús Suárez singled to knock in Kross and start a string of six consecutive Peoria batters to reach base. A walk to Luis Pino was followed by an RBI single from Cordoba, a walk to Baez, and a bases-loaded walk to Gurevitch. Bjorn Johnson relieved Bravo and gave up a two-run single to Flores before getting the final out with a strikeout.
Eric Bitonti got the Rattlers going in the bottom of the sixth with a double. Then, Tayden Hall launched a homer to left to cut their deficit to five runs. That was as close as the Rattlers would get.
Wisconsin’s home record fell to 9-15 with the loss. Peoria clinched a series win over the Rattlers with their fourth victory in the first six games of the seven-game set.
The series finale is Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. Wande Torres (3-3, 5.45) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. The Chiefs will send Blake Aita (1-2, 3.62) to the mound. Game time is 1:10pm CDT.
Friday’s game
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Peoria Chiefs needed extra innings to decide Friday’s game at Neuroscience Group Field. The Chiefs broke a 5-5 tie with two runs in the top of the tenth and held off the Rattlers in the bottom of the tenth for a 7-5 victory.
The Timber Rattlers (25-21), who scored thirteen runs on eleven hits on Thursday night, kept on hitting at the start of Friday’s game as they collected three runs on five hits.
Josiah Ragsdale, Andrew Fischer, and Eric Bitonti started the inning with singles. Bitonti’s single drove in Ragsdale and sent Fischer to third. A fielder’s choice from Daniel Dickinson got Bitonti at second but scored Fischer for a 2-0 lead. Dickinson stole second and scored on a single by Luis Castillo.
Tayden Hall singled to left with two outs and Castillo at second base. Castillo tried to score on the play but was thrown out at the plate.
The Chiefs (23-26) replied in the top of the second when Sammy Hernandez hit a two-run home run to left. That home run was the third of the season for Hernandez, all three have been against the Timber Rattlers.
Bitonti blasted a solo home run to the boardwalk above the Peoria bullpen in left-center with one out in the bottom of the third.
Luis Pino homered in the top of the fourth inning for the Chiefs and Wisconsin’s lead was back down to one run.
Ragsdale opened the Wisconsin fifth with a double. Dickinson added to the Rattlers advantage with a two-out RBI.
Peoria rallied to tie the game in their next at bat. Cam Nickens singled and Jalin Flores doubled to start the sixth. A wild pitch by starting pitcher Ethan Dorchies allowed Nickens to score and Flores to take third. Tre Richardson III tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right.
Both teams had a chance to take the lead in the ninth. Sammy Hernandez hit a lead-off double for the Chiefs against reliever Jack Seppings in the top of the ninth. Seppings got the first out on a popup, caught Hernandez off second for a rundown on a grounder back to the mound, and struck out Christian Martin for the final out.
The Rattlers chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth began when Tayden Hall drew a lead-off walk against Dominic Freeberger. Josh Adamczewski was called on to pinch-hit with one out and Freeberger threw a wild pitch to move Hall to second. Hall would stay there as Freeberger got a strikeout and a grounder to second and the game went to the tenth.
Martin started the inning at second as the placed runner and only made third when Jesus Baez hit a hit pop fly down the line in right that landed out of the reach of Luis Castillo for a double. Nickens drove in Martin with a sacrifice fly that also moved Baez to third base. That was key as Flores hit a grounder to Bitonti to first, but the throw home was not handled and Baez scored to make it 7-5.
Ragsdale was the placed runner at second in the bottom of the tenth for the Rattlers. Fischer brought the crowd to its feet with a deep drive to center that looked to be a game-tying homer. However, the ball dropped into the glove of Pino just short of the wall for the out. Freeberger struck out Bitonti but hit Dickinson to bring Castillo to the plate as the potential winning run.
Freeberger and Castillo battled to a full count before the Chiefs hurler got Castillo to chase for strike three to end the game.
Comments