Rattler road woes continue
May 31, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers News Release
BURLINGTON, IA -- The Burlington Bees beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 6-3 Wednesday night at Community Field. The Rattlers have lost three straight and are 1-6 in the first seven games of their current eight game road trip. On Wednesday, three Burlington pitchers held Wisconsin to just four hits, while the Rattler defense committed four errors that led to three unearned runs for the Bees.
Luis Valbuena gave the Rattlers (19-33) a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with an RBI double. JB Tucker drew two-out walk and scored from first after Valbuena banged a 1-0 pitch from Carlos Rosa off the right field wall for a double.
But, the Bees (26-24) had a quick answer. Burlington scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Valentino Arce started the inning with a double. He went to third on a passed ball with one out. Rattler starting pitcher Jose Escalona got Mario Lisson to chop one back to the mound. After looking Arce back to third, Escalona turned and fired wildly to first allowing Arce to score and Lisson to go to second. Miguel Vega followed with an RBI single to center and the Bees had a 2-1 lead.
Casey Craig appeared to have tied the game in the top of the third, but Ron Garth was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first on a double. Craig wasn't finished though. He stole third and scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
The Bees got back in front with a two run fifth inning. Escalona hit Chris McConnell, the leadoff batter, to start the inning. Escalona looked like he had picked McConnell off first, but the throw from Rattler first baseman Curtis Ledbetter was dropped by shortstop Jeff Dominguez allowing McConnell to reach second. Vega singled in McConnell and the Bees were up 3-2.
Later in the inning, Jeremy Jirschele singled home another run off Rattler reliever Ruben Flores and the score was 4-2.
Burlington added another run off Flores in the sixth inning on an RBI fielder's choice by McConnell.
The Rattlers got something going in the top of the seventh inning against reliever Cody Harkcom. Jeff Dominguez drew a one out walk and Garth followed with a bunt single. Garth was forced at second, but Craig reached on a fielder's choice. A walk to JB Tucker loaded the bases and brought Valbuena to the plate as the go ahead run.
Kraig Schambough came out of the bullpen to relieve Harkcom. Valbuena worked the count to 2-2 and launched a high fly, deep to right field. However, Jirschele made the catch two steps shy of the wall for the final out.
Burlington tacked on one more run in the bottom of the eighth. Rattler reliever Jeff Gilmore hit Valentino Arce with one out. Arce stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a balk.
Jairo Hernandez and Dominguez reached to start the ninth on a hit batsman and a walk against Schambough. Garth was retired on a high chopper to the mound that moved each runner up a base. Lisson robbed Craig of a base hit with a diving stop of a grounder that looked like it was headed for left field. The Bee third baseman fired a strike to first for the second out of the inning as Hernandez crossed the plate to get the Rattlers to within three.
But, Schambough got the final out to end the game and pick up his fourth save of the season.
Rosa got the win, his fourth of the season. He went five innings, gave up two runs on three hits, walked five, and struck out six. Burlington has won nine consecutive home games and are 13-3 in their last sixteen games. Wisconsin is 3-14 in their last seventeen games.
The final game of the Rattler road trip is Thursday night. Jason Snyder (2-4, 5.23ERA) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. David Henninger (1-2, 4.07ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Bees. Game time is 7:00pm.
Midwest League Stories from May 31, 2006
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- Swing sweep twin bill from Snappers - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Snappers Drop Both Games in Doubleheader - Beloit Sky Carp
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- Swing brass to speak at All-Star Luncheon - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Kernels weather rain, umps, extra frames to win third straight - Cedar Rapids Kernels
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