Wisconsin Outslugs & Outlasts South Bend for Series Split

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Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Wisconsin Outslugs & Outlasts South Bend for Series Split

August 4, 2024 - Midwest League (MWL)
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers News Release


GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers rallied from an early 5-1 deficit and held on for a 15-12 win over the South Bend Cubs at Neuroscience Group Field on Sunday afternoon. Ramόn Rodríguez hit the go-ahead, two-run home run in the seventh inning for the Rattlers. South Bend scored in eight of the nine innings but could not withstand three homers from the Rattlers.

The Cubs (40-62 overall, 13-23 second half) were up 2-0 two batters into the game. Brett Bateman singled to start the first inning. Then, Rafael Morel homered to left on a 1-2 pitch for his eighth homer of the season.

The Timber Rattlers (65-36, 23-12) responded with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Cooper Pratt was hit by a pitch with one out. Jadher Areinamo had a ground rule double to put two runners in scoring position. Tayden Hall got Pratt home with a sacrifice fly.

In the top of the second inning, the Cubs added a run. Parker Chavers walked, stole second, and scored on a single by Jordan Nwogu.

South Bend added two more runs in the third inning. Alexander Cornielle, the Wisconsin starter, walked Bateman and Morel to start the inning. Pedro Ramirez singled to knock in Bateman and send Morel to third. Jefferson Rojas got Morel across the plate with a sacrifice fly for a 5-1 lead.

Wisconsin had something working in the bottom of the third as Luis Lara and Felix Valerio started the inning with a walk and a single. Hall was at the plate with one out and runners on first and second. He hit a grounder to second and the Cubs got the force at second but could not complete the double play on a poor throw to first. Eduardo Garcia made the Cubs pay for that miscue with a long, three-run home run to left to pull the Rattlers to within a run. The homer was Garica's first of the season with Wisconsin.

Nwogu singled to start the top of the fourth inning for South Bend. Reivaj Garcia doubled to left-center to put the Cubs up 6-4.

The Rattlers had an excellent chance in the bottom of the fourth inning as two walks and a fielder's choice loaded the bases with no outs to chase South Bend starting pitcher Rian Gonzalez from the game. However, Jose Romero got a strikeout and a 4-6-3 double play to deny the Rattlers in the inning.

Ramirez drew a lead-off walk in the top of the fifth. Ethan Hearn doubled to score Ramirez with an insurance run and the Cubs were up 7-4.

Jheremy Vargas started another Wisconsin comeback with a single off the second base bag. He moved to second on an error and third on flyout. Eduarqui Fernández drove in Vargas with a sacrifice fly. Lara and Valerio kept the inning alive with back-to-back walks to bring Areinamo to the plate. The Rattlers leading hitter cracked a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left for a three-run homer and an 8-7 lead.

South Bend scored again in the top of the seventh. Reliever Yerlin Rodriguez got the first two outs before Ethan Hearn singled to center. An ill-advised throw to first by Areinamo as he tried to catch Hearn rounding first base wound up in the dugout to let Hearn take third base. Rodriguez threw a wild pitch moments later and Hearn scored to tie the game 8-8.

Garcia started the rally that put the Rattlers ahead to stay when he walked to start the bottom of the seventh. Rodríguez got a hold of a hanging breaking ball and hammered a two-run home run for a 10-8 lead.

Rodriguez went back out for the eighth inning and allowed a double and a walk. That called for Aaron Rund to be brought in from the Wisconsin bullpen. Rund got a double play ball, but the throw to first was wild to allow a run to score and Wisconsin's lead was back down to one run. Rund got out of the inning with an unassisted double play after a liner to Hall at first base.

The Rattlers grabbed five insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. They loaded the bases with one out. Garcia had an infield single to drive in the first run of the inning. Rodríguez drew a bases-loaded walk to force in another run. Vargas plated two more runs with a single. Jose Acosta reached on fielder's choice to get the final run of the inning home.

South Bend kept battling in the ninth inning. Rund gave up a walk and a double with one out. Chavers drove in a run with a grounder to short. Rund was one strike away from nailing down the win, but Nwogu singled to right on a 1-2 pitch to knock in another run.

Bayden Root, Wisconsin's fifth pitcher of the game, came in looking for the final out. He would give up an RBI single to Reivaj Garcia and walk Bateman to bring Morel to the plate as the tying run.

Morel hit a soft popup to shallow center that looked like it might drop. Areinamo raced back from his position at second base and made a leaping catch. He held on as he tumbled in the outfield for the final out to secure the final out of the game.

Sunday's game was Wisconsin's longest of the season at three hours and twenty-nine minutes.

The win gave the Rattlers a series split with the Cubs this week at Neuroscience Group Field. Both teams won three games of the six-game set. Wisconsin has not lost a series since South Bend won four of the six games in a series at Four Winds Field May 21 through May 26. The Timber Rattlers are 15-2 with two splits in series this season.

The Rattlers are off on Monday. They return to action on Tuesday with game one of a six-game series with the Quad Cities River Bandits at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa. Game time is 6:30pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM with the Community Blood Center Pregame Show set to go at 6:10pm. The games are also available on the internet and the Bally Live App.

R H E

SB 212 110 113 - 12 14 1

WIS 103 004 25x - 15 10 2

Click here for the boxscore

Click here for the scoring plays

HOME RUNS:

SB:

Rafael Morel (8th, 1 on in 1st inning off Alexander Cornielle, 0 out)

WIS:

Eduardo Garcia (1st, 2 on in 3rd inning off Erian Rodriguez, 2 out)

Jadher Areinamo (9th, 2 on in 6th inning off Nick Hull, 2 out)

Ramόn Rodríguez (7th, 1 on in 7th inning off Mitchell Tyranski, 0 out)

WP: Yerlin Rodriguez (3-1)

LP: Mitchell Tyranski (2-4)

TIME: 3:29

ATTN: 6,161

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