(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scored five runs in the first inning against the Quad Cities River Bandits on Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. The River Bandits withstood the early dominance of the Rattlers, waited out a long rain delay in the middle of the game, and got late offense from an unexpected source to defeat the Rattlers 7-6.
Wisconsin grabbed control of the game early with five runs crossing the plate before Bandits starting pitcher Mauricio Veliz got an out. Eduardo Garcia started the inning with an infield single, and Marco Dinges followed by working a walk. Jadher Areinamo moved his hitting streak to thirteen games with an RBI single up the middle to score Garcia. Dinges took third on the hit with Areinamo taking second as the throw from the outfield went through to third base.
Blake Burke made it 3-0 when he drove a double to left that Erick Torres couldn’t haul in for a catch to allow both Dinges and Areinamo to score. Yhoswar Garcia tripled to the corner in right to score Burke. Luiyin Alastre lined a single over the drawn-in infield to plate Garcia for a 5-0 lead.
Daniel Guilarte followed with a single and the first seven Rattlers of the game had reached base. Then, Veliz would retire the final nine Timber Rattlers he would face in the game.
Manuel Rodriguez was the starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers in the game. The right-hander was activated from the Wisconsin IL earlier in the day to make his first start since April 27. He hit the first batter of the game on the first pitch but would go on to face the minimum over two innings thanks to a double play in the first and three flyouts in the second.
Quad Cities got on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning. Reliever Stiven Cruz walked two batters but had two outs with Salon at the plate. The catcher, who was making his Midwest League debut, doubled to right to score both runners to pull the River Bandits to within three runs.
In the bottom of the sixth, Yhoswar Garcia doubled and stole third before play was halted by rain. When play resumed 92 minutes later, Alastre drove in Garcia with a sacrifice fly for a 6-2 lead.
The Bandits put the pressure on in the top of the seventh against reliever Bayden Root. Carson Roccaforte doubled with one out and Root walked the next two batters. Salon stepped in a drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
In the eighth, Root again retired the first batter before allowing a single and two walks to load the bases. Patricio Aquino was called in from the Wisconsin bullpen to protect the 6-3 lead.
However, a walk of Carter Frederick forced in a run and a sacrifice fly by Derlin Figueroa got the River Bandits to within one run and Salon coming back to the plate.
Salon put Quad Cities up 7-6 with a double to the gap in right-center that drove in both runners. He ended the day 2-for-2 with a walk and five RBI.
Wisconsin tried to rally in the eighth and ninth innings. Areinamo singled to start the eighth before Roccaforte made a diving catch to rob Burke of a base hit that would have put two in with no outs. In the ninth, Blayberg Diaz singled with two outs to bring Eduardo Garcia to the plate as the possible winning run. However, Roccaforte made another diving catch with this one for the final out of the game to seal the Quad Cities comeback win.
Game three of the series is Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field. Sam Garcia (1-2, 6.91) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Logan Martin (6-3, 4.32) is set to start for the River Bandits. Game time is 6:40pm.
Comments