(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers received a fine starting pitching performance from Ethan Dorchies and a big home run from Andrew Fischer on Friday night against the Cedar Rapids Kernels. However, the Rattlers couldn’t hold a 2-1 lead as Marek Houston hit a pair of late homers for the Kernels to lead the home team past Wisconsin 8-3 at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Cedar Rapids (27-28) had two outs with none on in the bottom of the first inning. Brandon Winokur sent a weak grounder back to the mound that was misplayed by Dorchies. Winokur stole second and stole third with Khadim Diaw drawing a walk. Dorchies appeared to strike out Yasser Mercedes with the final out. However, a balk was called and Winokur scored for a 1-0 lead.
Daniel Dickinson singled and stole second for the Rattlers (29-23) with one out in the second inning. Tayden Hall drove in Dickinson with a single to right to tie the game.
The Kernels had Dorchies on the ropes in the bottom of the fourth. There were two on with one out when Quinn McDaniel singled off the foot of Dorchies to load the bases. Dorchies escaped with a strikeout and a flyout to center to keep the game tied.
Fischer put the Timber Rattlers into the lead with a long home run to right-center to lead off the top of the sixth. Fischer, who had been named the Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Player of the Month for May earlier on Friday, accomplished several things with that homer, his seventeenth of the season.
Fischer extended his on-base streak to 24 games and his hitting streak to nine games. Additionally, Fischer has now hit the most homers by a Timber Rattler in a single season since the franchise moved to the High-A classification for the 2021 season. He had been tied with Thomas Dillard, who hit sixteen homers in 78 games during the 2021. Fischer has reached seventeen homers in 48 games.
Dorchies went back out for the bottom of the sixth inning and gave up a lead-off single to Khadim Diaw. Dorchies picked Diaw off first for the first out but walked the next batter to end his night. Ayendy Bravo, who picked up the save on Tuesday night against the Kernels, got the final two outs of the inning.
Dorchies tossed 5-1/3 innings, allowed an unearned run on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts. He was in line for the win.
Bravo got the first out of the seventh before giving up a single to Danny DeAndrade. Bravo was ahead of Houston when a close 1-2 pitch was called a ball. Houston hit the next pitch for a two-run home run and a 3-2 lead for the Kernels.
The next two batters walked, and Yerlin Rodriguez took over on the mound for the Rattlers. He issued a walk to load the base but struck out the next hitter for the second out. Rodriguez missed on a 3-2 pitch to Jay Thomason to force in a run. A wild pitch let in another run. Quinn McDaniel put a cap on the inning for the Kernels with a two-run single for a 7-2 lead.
Houston launched his second home run of the game with a one-out solo shot in the eighth off Rodriguez.
Luis Peña walked to start the top of the ninth, took second on defensive indifference, and moved to third on a grounder. Marco Dinges knocked in Peña with another grounder for the final run of the game.
The loss snapped Wisconsin’s four-game winning streak and denied them their first five-game winning streak since 2024.
The Timber Rattlers all-time single-season home run record is 22 and it is shared by three players: Khris Davis (2010), Victor Roache (2013), and Clint Coulter (2014).
Game five of the series is Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Wande Torres (3-3, 5.44) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers. Cesar Lares is set to make his Midwest League debut as the starting pitcher for the Kernels. Game time is 6:35pm.
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