(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers got contributions from everyone as they rallied with five two-out runs in the bottom of the eighth inning upend the Great Lakes Loons 8-6 on Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field. Andrew Fischer, the #1 pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2025 draft who happened to be playing his first game as a professional, led the way with three hits and three RBI for the Rattlers. Jesús Made stayed hot with three hits, too.
The top four hitters in the Wisconsin lineup are all Top Ten prospects in the Brewers system and all four contributed to giving the Rattlers (50-59 overall, 16-28 second half) a 2-0 lead. Made (#1) and Luis Peña (#2) had back to back singles. Fischer (#6) made his professional at bat count with an RBI single to knock in Made and send Peña to third base. Marco Dinges (#10) followed with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the second inning, Luis Castillo emerged from a terrible slump with a bolt from the blue. The Rattler left fielder had been 1-for-39 in his first twelve games off the injured list. Everyone forgot about that when he crushed a 2-2 pitch deep into the night over the Home Run Porch for his first Midwest League home run and a 3-0 lead. The power shouldn’t have been a surprise as Castillo had hit eighteen in the Carolina League last season.
That three-run lead evaporated in the top of the third inning as the some of the top prospects in the Los Angeles Dodgers system delivered key hits. Kendal George (#25) singled with one out to move Jordan Thompson, who had doubled to start the inning, to third base. Zyhir Hope (#2) was at the plate when George stole second. A wild throw from Dinges allowed Thompson to score. Hope followed that with an RBI single.
Jake Gelof, who hit a pair of two-run homers on Wednesday afternoon, launched another one on a 1-2 pitch for a 4-3 lead. That was the first home run given up by Wisconsin starting pitcher Tanner Gillis this season. He had gone 45 innings over ten starts without giving up a homer.
The game settled down after that home run before things got crazy in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.
In the bottom of the seventh, Made just beat out a double play ball with Peña and Fischer drawing walks on eight straight pitches to load the bases with one out. However, Dinges swung at a 2-0 pitch and grounded into a 4-3 double play to end the inning.
Then, the Loons (60-49, 26-18) extended their lead with two runs in the top of the eighth. Aaron Rund gave up a walk and a single to start the inning. Elijah Hainline attempted to bunt the runners over and it turned out much better for Great Lakes as the throw to third was late to load the bases for Samuel Munoz.
Rund fell behind Munoz 2-1 before getting a called strike to even the count. Then, a marathon battle began. Munoz fouled off three pitches before taking ball three to run the count full. Rund tried everything in his arsenal, but Munoz fouled off seven more pitches. The fifteenth pitch of the battle was a close pitch that was called ball four to force in a run and leave the Loons with the bases loaded, no outs, and a 5-3 lead.
Rund got a strikeout and a force out at the plate from the next two batters. However, a wild pitch allowed an extra run to score before the final out was recorded, and the Rattlers faced a 6-3 deficit heading into the bottom of the eighth.
Hedbert Pérez started the inning with a single to right, but he was still at first with two outs and Logan Tabeling, the Loons reliever looking to get the final out. The final out would not happen for an eternity.
Castillo walked on four pitches to bring Daniel Guilarte to the plate. The Rattlers number nine hitter in the order was in the box as Tabeling stepped on the rubber and dropped the ball out of his glove for a balk to move both runners into scoring position. Guilarte lined a single to right to score both of them, cut the Loons lead to one, and bring the top of the order back to the plate.
Made kept the inning going with a single for his third hit of the game.
Peña lined a double off the wall in left to knock in Guilarte with the tying run.
Fischer sent a week grounder to the right side of the infield. First baseman Cameron Decker fielded the ball but flipped too high to Tabeling covering first. Both Made and Peña scored on Fischer’s third hit of the night for an 8-6 lead.
Jeferson Figueroa went out for the top of the ninth. Momentum seemed to shift to the Loons side after Figueroa walked George and Hope to start the inning. Then, fate smiled on the Rattlers.
Logan Wagner hit a weak line drive near the third base bag. Fischer dove for the ball but could not hang on to it. The ball trickled to the coach’s box. Fischer scrambled to get it and lunge back to the bag to force George on a close play. Hope was late to break for second base because of the possibility that Fischer could have caught it. Fischer’s throw to Peña at second was in time for the 5-4 double play and the Rattlers were one out away from the win.
Gelof was standing in the way of that win as he stood in the box as the tying run. Figueroa closed out the game with a strikeout and the Rattlers celebrated the improbable comeback win.
Made went 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to six games. He is 11-for-25 during this stretch.
Game four of the series is set for Friday night at Neuroscience Group Field. Sam Garcia (1-8, 5.22) is the announced starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Maddux Bruns (2-3, 6.98) is set to start for the Loons. Game time is 6:40pm.
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