(TIMBER RATTLERS) GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Beloit Sky Carp broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the top of the seventh inning and held on to beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 4-3 on Saturday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. The teams combined to go 2-for-22 with runners in scoring position in the contest.
The teams traded runs in the fourth inning.
Beloit (20-17) took the lead in the top half with an RBI single by Garrett Forrester.
In the bottom of the fourth, Eduardo Garcia singled, stole second, and went to third on a grounder off the bat of Matt Wood. Juan Baez sent a slow grounder to short with the Beloit infield in on the grass and Garcia beat the throw home to score the tying run.
The Sky Carp went back in front in the top of the fifth. Wisconsin starting pitcher Ryan Birchard walked Colby Shade to start the inning. Then, Shade stole second and third. Payton Green knocked in Shade with a sacrifice fly for a 2-1 lead.
The Rattlers had the answer in the bottom of the sixth inning Garcia reached when he beat out a potential double play ball. Beloit starter Jake Brooks walked Matt Wood and got the second on a flyball to right before leaving the game.
Tayden Hall drew a walk against Beloit reliever Justin Storm to load the bases. Storm followed that with a walk of Yhoswar Garcia to force in the tying run.
Wisconsin reliever Aidan Maldonado walked the first two batters he faced in the top of the seventh inning. He would get Yiddi Cappe to hit a grounder to second to give the defense a chance to turn a double play. They got the out at second, but Jadher Areinamo’s throw to first could not be scooped by Hall at first to allow the go-ahead run to score. A two-out single by Conner Caskenette ended Maldonado’s day.
Tanner Shears, who was making his first appearance for the Timber Rattlers since the end of the 2023 season, took over and walked Brock Vradenburg on a 3-2 to load the bases. Shears hit Forrester with the next pitch to force in an insurance run.
Wisconsin tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh. Hedbert Pérez started the inning with a walk. Areinamo followed with a single to right to send Pérez to third base. However, Areinamo took an aggressive turn at first base that was too far, and he got caught getting back to the bag for the first out.
Blake Burke laced a double to center to score Pérez and claw Wisconsin back to within a run. However, Storm got the final two outs of the inning to hold the lead for Beloit. Will Kempner pitched the eighth and ninth innings for the Sky Carp to close out the game with no hits, a walk, and four strikeouts.
The Rattlers outhit the Sky Carp and drew five walks, but stranded nine runners were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Birchard had a no decision as he matched his single-game high as a pro with seven strikeouts in 4-2/3 innings.
Wisconsin had dropped the first two games of the series before sweeping a doubleheader on Friday night.
Now, Beloit leads the series 3-2 with the final game of the set scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. Tanner Gillis is the starting pitcher for Wisconsin and will make his Timber Rattlers debut. The Sky Carp have named Will Schomberg (0-4, 6.11) as their starting pitcher. Game time is 1:10pm.
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