(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers withstood an early offensive outburst from the South Bend Cubs to score five runs in the bottom of the second inning on the way to an 11-5 victory on Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. The teams combined for 22 hits, seventeen walks, and 22 runners left on base.
There was plenty of offense early in the game as the teams combined to score eleven runs in the first three innings.
South Bend (17-15) took the lead two batters into the game. Lead-off batter Kane Kepley walked and stole second. Ty Southisene followed with a double and Kepley scored. A walk and a single loaded the bases with no outs.
Wisconsin starting pitcher Yorman Galindez got two outs with Leonel Espinoza grounding into a 6-4-3 double play with Southisene scoring on the play. Drew Bowser plated a third run of the inning with a single.
The Rattlers (20-13) loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first inning against Cubs starting pitcher Eli Jerzembeck. Daniel Dickinson drew a one-out walk to force in a run, but that was all the Rattlers would get in the first.
Southisene added an RBI single to his to ledger in the top of the second for a 4-1 lead.
Jerzembeck scuffled in the Wisconsin half of the second as Wisconsin loaded the bases with no outs on a single by Luis Castillo, a double by Blayberg Diaz, and a walk to Braylon Payne. Consecutive infield singles by Joh Adamczewski and Eric Bitonti with one out pulled the Rattlers to within a run. The tying run scored on a wild pitch by Jerzembeck. Tayden Hall gave the Rattlers a 6-4 lead with a two-out, two-run double.
Christian Olivo brought the Cubs to within a run in the top of the third inning on an RBI grounder. That was the only run allowed by reliever Garrett Hodges, who was making his Midwest League debut. Hodges hit a batter, walked four, and allowed one hit over his two innings of work.
Hall added to Wisconsin’s lead with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth.
Braylon Owens took over for Hodges to start the top of the fifth and retired the first two batters of the inning. Then, Kepley walked and stole second. Southisene was next and he singled to score Kepley to cut the Rattlers lead to one run again.
Southisene had three hits and three RBI for the Cubs.
Wisconsin added a run on an RBI double by Hall in the sixth and put the game away with three runs in the eighth. An errant pickoff throw to first let Bitonti score. Juan Baez capped Wisconsin’s scoring with a two-run homer to left off Alfonso Romero. Baez had not homered in a game since May 26, 2024 when hit was a member of the Carolina Mudcats. Coincidentally, Baez hit that Carolina League homer against Alfonso Romero.
Owens shut down the Cubs over the rest of his outing. The right-hander struck out six and picked up a rare five-inning save, his first save as a professional.
Hall had five RBI in a game on Wednesday afternoon. The last time he had five RBI in a game was on May 2, 2024 when he was with the Carolina Mudcats in a game against the Columbia Fireflies.
Bitonti and Adamczewski both reached base four times in the game. Adamczewski had three singles for his tenth multi-hit game of the year. Bitonti walked twice, singled twice, scored three runs, and stole a base.
Game three of the series is Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field. J.D. Thompson (0-0, 7.20) is set to start for the Timber Rattlers. Ethan Flanagan (0-2, 4.03) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Cubs. Game time is 6:40pm.
Tomorrow is the second Nurses Night presented by ThedaCare and Teacher Appreciation Game of the homestand. Fans who are nurses or teachers will receive a reserved bleacher ticket or a grass seat for $4 with a current ID.
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