(TIMBER RATTLERS) GRAND CHUTE, WI – Wisconsin Timber Rattlers fans will be happy to see Kendall George and the Great Lakes Loons leave town. George didn’t steal a base on Sunday but had an impact on the game with three hits, two RBI, and two runs scored to lead the Loons to a much-needed, 5-3, comeback win over the Rattlers at Neuroscience Group Field on Sunday afternoon. Wisconsin committed three errors in the game that led to a pair of unearned runs.
The Timber Rattlers (50-62 overall, 16-31 second half) grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first inning. Andrew Fischer walked, Jesús Made doubled, and Marco Dinges walked to load the bases with no outs. Then, Luis Castillo tripled to right with the bases loaded to give Wisconsin a 3-0 lead. The could not add to the lead despite chasing Loons starting pitcher Aidan Foeller in the inning.
Great Lakes (63-29, 29-18) got two runs in the top of the third on four hits and a walk. Three of the hits were infield singles against reliever Jesús Broca. Back-to-back scratch singles that didn’t leave the infield grass with an error by Broca put runners on the corners to start the inning. Kendall George followed with a single to left to drive in the first run of the inning. Broca got a strikeout for the first out of the inning before another infield single loaded the bases. Zyhir Hope drew a walk to force in a run before Broca got the final two outs to maintain the lead.
The Loons tied the game in the top of the seventh. Reliever Aaron Rund, who had pitched a scoreless sixth, gave up a lead-off single to Frank Rodriguez and walked George. Rund was replaced by Anthony Flores.
Flores got Samuel Munoz to send a weak grounder to Juan Baez at second base. Baez rushed a throw to second in an attempt to get the force at second on the speedy George. However, the throw was wild, and Rodriguez scored the tying run.
The duo of Rodriguez and George combined to give the Loons the lead in the top of the eighth. Flores had two outs with none on when Rodriguez doubled off the wall in left for his fourth hit of the game. George followed with a line drive to the gap in left for a triple. A wild throw to third from Jesús Made went into the Great Lakes dugout and George scored on the error, Wisconsin’s third of the game, for a 5-3 lead.
George went 9-for-23 with two triples, six walks, eight runs scored, and fourteen stolen bases as he played all six games of the series.
Wisconsin had two hits after the first inning as the Loons ran through seven pitchers. Made, whose double in the first inning extended his hitting streak to nine games, doubled in the fifth inning with two outs. He has six multi-hit games in eleven games as a Rattler.
The other Wisconsin hit was a lead-off single by Andrick Nava in the bottom of the ninth against Alex Makarevich. However, Nava was left stranded at first when the game ended as Makarevich retired the next three hitters to record his first save of the season.
Bishop Letson made his return to the mound for the Rattlers for the first time since May 8. Letson was activated from the Wisconsin IL earlier in the day on Sunday and went 1-1/3 scoreless innings with two hits, no walks and two strikeouts.
Great Lakes claimed the series 4-2 by winning the final three games from Wisconsin. The teams split the twelve-game season series with each team winning six games.
The Loons win allowed them to move to within a half game of Lake County in the East Division second half playoff race. The Captains lost in ten innings to Peoria on Sunday afternoon to let Great Lakes pick up ground.
The Timber Rattlers are back in action on Tuesday night with the first game of a series against the Beloit Sky Carp at ABC Supply Stadium in Beloit, Wisconsin. Game time is 6:05pm.
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