(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) – PEORIA, IL – Harry Houdini would be proud! The legendary escape artist who called Appleton, Wisconsin home as a young man could never have devised the death traps constructed by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the final four innings of Saturday night’s game against the Peoria Chiefs at Dozer Park. Yet, time and again the Rattlers escaped unscathed in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to record a thrilling 4-3 win.
Marco Dinges returned to the Wisconsin lineup for the first time since he left the game on June 29 with an injury and promptly gave the Rattlers the lead. Jesús Made walked with one out in the first inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. Dinges singled to center to knock in Made for a 1-0 lead.
The Chiefs (43-63 overall, 17-24 second half) tied the score without a hit in the bottom of the third. Rattlers starting pitcher Ryan Birchard walked the first two batters – Anyelo Encarnacion and Won-Bin Cho – of the inning. Luis Castillo made a leaping catch at the wall in left to snag a liner off the bat of Jon Jon Gazdar with Encarnacion tagging and moving to third with one out.
Cho broke for second with Zach Levenson at the plate and drew a throw. Second baseman Jesús Made cut off the ball in front of the base and fired back to the plate as Encarnacion had broken for the plate. The play was close, and the call was safe to allow Encarnacion to score the tying run.
The Rattlers (48-58, 14-27) went back in front with three runs in the top of the fifth inning with a little help from the Chiefs.
Dinges walked to start the frame. Juan Baez sent a slow chopper up the third base line for a single. Peoria third baseman Jesús Baez had no play at first but tried to get Dinges rounding second. However, the throw from Baez was wild to allow both Dinges and Juan Baez to advance. Frank Elissalt, the Peoria starter, was rattled and was called for a balk to allow Dinges to score and send Baez to third with Tayden Hall at the plate. Hall would eventually draw a walk to put runners on the corners.
Hall broke for second on an attempted steal with Luis Castillo hitting. Elissalt turned to throw to first and caught Hall in a rundown. However, another balk was called to allow Baez to walk home for a 3-1 lead.
DJ Carpenter was brought into the game with two outs and Hall at second to face Luiyin Alastre. Then, Alastre doubled to score Hall for a 4-1 advantage.
Birchard pitched a 1-2-3 fourth and worked around a two-out walk in the fifth. He went back out for the sixth and this is where the excitement started.
Zach Levenson singled and Birchard walked Jesús Baez on four pitches. That was the end of the line for Birchard.
Aaron Rund was called in from the Wisconsin bullpen and he struck out Deniel Ortiz for the first out. Dinges tried to pick Baez off first after the first pitch to Travis Honeyman. However, the throw got through Hall. The ball rolled down the line in right to allow Levenson to score with Baez only making second base. Honeyman followed that with a single to left to put runners on the corners. Ryan Campos followed that with a double to drive in Baez and get Honeyman to third. Rund walked the next batter to load the bases with one out and the Rattlers clinging to that one-run lead.
This is where the escape acts started. Rund struck out the next two batters to end the sixth.
In the seventh, Peoria had the tying run at third and one out after a lead-off walk, a botched double play, and a wild pitch. Rund got out of this inning with a shallow fly to right that kept the runner at third and a flyout to center.
Yerlin Rodriguez entered for the bottom of the eighth inning for the Rattlers. He had not allowed an earned run in his previous ten outings. He would test that streak to the breaking point on Saturday night.
Rodriguez walked the first two batters on nine pitches. Another botched double play ball loaded the bases with no outs. Back-to-back strikeouts and a grounder near third for a force play ended the inning with the Rattlers still up by one run.
The bottom of the ninth started with a strikeout. Yhoswar Garcia made an amazing catch in center for the second out.
It would not be a drama-free march to the final out because Rodriguez walked Ortiz to put the tying run on base. Then, he threw a wild pitch to move Ortiz into scoring position with the tying run. Of course, the count went full to Honeyman before Rodriguez got him swinging at strike three to end the game.
Wisconsin’s trio of pitchers combined to allow three hits, walk ten, and strike out ten as they held the Chiefs to 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
The series finale is Sunday afternoon at Dozer Park. Travis Smith (0-0, 4.50) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Nate Dohm (0-0, 3.00) is set to start for the Chiefs. Game time is 2:05pm.
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