(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) GRAND CHUTE, WI – It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t routine. It was a 1-0 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers win over the Beloit Sky Carp in game one of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field.
Wisconsin (38-41 overall, 4-10 second half) took advantage of a two-out error to go in front early in the game. Yhoswar Garcia hit a grounder to shortstop that was booted by Echedry Vargas for an error. Kay-Lan Nicasia followed with a double off the wall in right to score Garcia for a 1-0 lead.
Wisconsin starting pitcher Manuel Rodriguez pitched three scoreless innings in his third start off the injured list. He needed a little help from his defense.
Connor Caskenette singled to start the second inning but was erased on a 4-6-3 double play after Daniel Guilarte made a nifty pick on a grounder to his backhand.
In the third inning, the first two Beloit hitters – Micah McDowell and Wilfredo Lara – reached on singles. Jacob Jenkins-Cowart hit a fly ball to medium center and McDowell decided to challenge the arm of Eduardo Garcia by trying to take third. The attempt was unsuccessful on a strong one-hop throw from Garcia for another double play.
Beloit (38-42, 8-6) had threats to score against Wisconsin reliever Anthony Flores in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings but could not cash in on their opportunities.
Flores walked three batters in the fourth inning, but also struck out three, including McDowell to end the threat.
A walk and a catcher’s interference in the top of the fifth put two runners on base before Flores got a pair of routine fly balls to center.
In the sixth, Flores walked the lead-off batter – his fifth walk of the game. The defense picked him up with another 4-6-3 double play for two outs. Flores ended the inning with his fifth strikeout.
The Rattlers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth on three walks but could not add to their lead.
Jesús Broca took over for the top of the seventh and got the first two outs. Jenkins-Cowart, the last chance for the Sky Carp hit a hard grounder back through the middle and Broca made a leaping grab. Broca sprinted to first and excitedly pounded the ball back into is glove. However, the ball popped free as he tried to get the ball out to flip to first for the final out and Jenkins-Cowart was aboard on an error.
Jenkins-Cowart soon found himself at third base after a pair of wild pitches by Broca. Disaster was avoided as Broca struck out Jesús Hernandez looking at a 3-2 pitch to end the game and Wisconsin’s four-game losing streak.
Game one marked the third time Wisconsin has beaten the Sky Carp 1-0 in a seven-inning game this season. The Rattlers beat Beloit 1-0 in both ends of a doubleheader at Neuroscience Group Field on May 16.
Game Two
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers didn’t tap out on Sunday in game two of their doubleheader against the Beloit Sky Carp at Neuroscience Group Field. Wisconsin trailed 5-2 heading into their final at bat and scored three runs to tie the game. Beloit took a lead in the ninth only to see Wisconsin tie the game again. The Rattlers finally emerged from the game two marathon with a victory as they scored a run in the bottom of the tenth to beat the Sky Carp 7-6 to earn a doubleheader sweep after winning game one 1-0.
Wisconsin (39-41 overall, 5-10 second half) took the lead in the bottom of the second inning on a two-out, two-run single by Blayberg Diaz.
Beloit (38-43, 8-7) tied the game in the top of the third inning against reliever Stiven Cruz. Wilfredo Lara tripled to start the inning with Emaarion Boyd knocking him home with a sacrifice fly. Jesús Hernandez followed with a homer to left, his first Midwest League home run.
Lara reached on an error to start the top of the fifth but was still at first base with two outs. Lara stole second on a close two-strike pitch to Eric Rataczak that was called a ball. Cruz would eventually walk Rataczak to bring Payton Green the plate.
Cruz was up 1-2 in the count, but Green singled to center to score Lara for a 3-2 lead.
The Sky Carp added two insurance runs in the top of the fifth against reliever Aaron Rund, in his first game since June 4. The rally started with a double by Colby Shade and a walk to Brock Vradenburg. Lara tripled to right-center to drive in both runs for a 5-2 lead.
Jake Brooks, the Beloit starter, shut down the Wisconsin offense after the second inning. He pitched six innings and allowed six hits with only one after the third inning. Brooks walked one and struck out four before turning a 5-2 lead over to his bullpen for the bottom of the seventh.
The Rattlers comeback started with the bottom third of the order. Tayden Hall started things with a lead-off single against Colby Martin. Then, Luiyin Alastre drew a walk. Diaz doubled to knock in Hall to get the game back to the top of the Wisconsin order.
Martin got a strikeout for the first out. Blake Burke cracked a single through the left side of the infield to score Alastre and send Diaz to third. Jadher Areinamo tied the game with sacrifice fly to center that was just deep enough to score Diaz with the tying run.
Neither team scored in the eighth, but Wisconsin reliever Jack Seppings had to work through a jam after he walked the lead-off batter to start the top of the eighth with the placed runner already at second base. Seppings escaped by getting Brock Vradenburg to ground into a 4-6-3 double play and Lara to ground out to second.
In the ninth, Wisconsin’s defense made a difficult situation almost untenable. Reliever Jeferson Figueroa tried to pickoff Lara, the placed runner at second, with one out. However, he sailed the throw into center to allow Lara to take third. Jesús Hernandez was hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners. Hernandez stole second and the throw by the catcher Diaz also sailed into center for an error to allow Lara to score while Hernandez took third. Figueroa bounced back to retire the next two batters to head to the dugout and hope the offense could keep the game alive.
They did. Eduardo Garcia singled with one out to move Alastre to third base. Burke launched a deep fly to right to score Alastre with the tying run. Then, the game went to the tenth.
Figueroa pitched a scoreless top of the frame to give the Rattlers a chance to win the game. They did, but it was in an unconventional manner.
Pinch-runner Kay-Lan Nicasia started the inning at second base. Areinamo singled on a 1-2 pitch to right-center, but Nicasia could only advance to third base. Hedbert Pérez was next and hit a hard grounder to first. Vradenburg made a diving stop and came up firing to the plate. However, Nicasia has stayed at third base and all three Rattlers were safe to set up the bases loaded with no outs.
Baez got the first crack and his grounder to second turned into a force play at the plate.
Yhoswar Garcia was able to send the fans home happy. Jay Beshears fielded a slow chopper up the third base line from Garcia, but his throw home was high and Areinamo scored the winning run to give Wisconsin a doubleheader sweep of their in-state rivals.
Wisconsin also swept a doubleheader from Beloit on May 16 with a pair of 1-0 victories, including a walkoff win in the nightcap of that twinbill.The Milwaukee Brewers have announced that Nestor Cortes will be the starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers as he makes a rehabilitation start. South Bend has tentatively scheduled Brooks Caple (2-3, 7.53) as their starting pitcher. Game time is 6:40pm.
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