
Wisconsin Rallies to Tie Only to Fall in Ninth Inning at Cedar Rapids
August 19, 2023 - Midwest League (MWL)
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers News Release
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - The Timber Rattlers never said die on Saturday night at Rise 2 Greatness Field. Wisconsin rallied from a 5-1 deficit with a run in the eighth and three runs in the ninth to tie the Cedar Rapids Kernels. That made heartbreak hurt even more as the Kernels scored with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 walkoff win over the Rattlers.
Ben Ross gave the Kernels (30-17 second half, 70-43 overall) a 1-0 lead with a two-out, solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. Ross has seventeen homers on the season.
The Timber Rattlers (22-25, 48-63) answered in the top of the second. Mike Boeve doubled to start the inning and to extend his current hitting streak to seven games. A groundout by Hendry Mendez moved Boeve to third. A groundout by Jose Acosta scored Boeve with the tying run.
Kyler Fedko put Cedar Rapids back in front with a homer to left to start the third inning. The home run was the 114th of the season for the Kernels, who have hit eighteen taters against the Timber Rattlers in 2023.
Wisconsin starter Bradley Blalock walked the next batter. Then, Emmanuel tripled to left-center to score the runner and the Kernels were up 3-1.
Ross gave the Kernels some breathing room in the bottom of the seventh inning when he lined a two-run triple to the gap in left-center with two outs for a 5-1 lead.
Wisconsin tried to get going against Alejandro Hidalgo in the top of the eighth inning and got a run with a two-out rally. Luis Lara doubled, and Ben Metzinger drew a walk. Brock Wilken laced a single to score Lara and the Rattlers were down 5-2.
In the ninth, the Rattlers rocked Malik Barrington as four straight batters reached base. Mendez and Darrien Miller started the inning with back-to-back doubles to cut another run off the deficit. Acosta walked to put the tying run at the plate. The Kernels defense shifted for a bunt from Jheremy Vargas, but the Wisconsin shortstop crossed them up by ripping a single to left to score Miller. Acosta saw a chance to take third and beat the throw there to put runners on the corners with no outs and the Rattlers down by a run.
AJ Labas took over on the mound for Cedar Rapids and got Terence Doston to ground into a 4-6-3 double play for the first two outs of the inning. However, Acosta crossed the plate and the Rattlers had tied the game.
In the bottom of the ninth, Karlos Morales walked Rodriguez with one out. Ross hit a long, loud liner to center that Lara ran down just short of the track for the second out. That brought up Jorel Ortega, who hit a high fly ball to left. The ball hit the top of the fifteen-foot-high wall 315' from home plate and dropped down to the warning track. Rodriguez, who was off on contact, raced home with the winning run to knock the Rattlers to three games under .500 in the second half for the first time.
The win clinched the series win for the Kernels who are up 4-1 with one game remaining. The loss knocked another dent into the Rattlers playoff hopes.
Playoff leading Peoria split a Saturday doubleheader at Lake County to get their record to 26-21. The Beloit Sky Carp defeated the Quad Cities River Bandits 3-2 in ten innings to move to within three games of Peoria. Wisconsin finds themselves four games back in the playoff race with nineteen games left in the season.
Jesse Winker of the Milwaukee Brewers concluded his final rehab appearance with the Timber Rattlers by going 1-for-3 on Saturday night. He was 5-for-13 in the four games at Cedar Rapids.
The series finale is Sunday afternoon at Rise 2 Greatness Field. Edwin Jimenz (4-4, 4.33) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. The Kernels have Zebby Matthews (3-2, 5.09) as their starter. Game time is 1:05pm. The radio broadcast on AM1280, WNAM starts with the Community Blood Center Pregame Show at 12:45pm. Fans can listen on the radio, on the First Pitch app, or at this link.
R H E
WIS 010 000 013 - 5 8 0
CR 102 000 201 - 6 9 0
Click here for the boxscore
HOME RUNS:
CR:
Ben Ross (17th, 0 on in 1st inning off Bradley Blalock, 2 out)
Kyler Fedko (4th, 0 on in 3rd inning off Bradley Blalock, 0 out)
WP: AJ Labas (2-1)
LP: Karlos Morales (4-5)
TIME: 2:33
ATTN: 4,361
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