Wisconsin Rattles off Five Homers in 11-7 Victory over Hawks

April 13, 2014 - Midwest League (MWL1)
South Bend Silver Hawks News Release


The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers took advantage of a strong wind blowing out of Four Winds Field to down the South Bend Silver Hawks 11-7 on Sunday afternoon. The south wind, at a consistent 15 knots, gusting up to over 20 knots, lifted half of the Rattlers' 10 hits into the center and left field stands. The Silver Hawks were only able to send one ball over the fence, in response to Wisconsin's five round-trippers.

Timber Rattlers catcher Clint Coulter picked up where he left off Saturday night. Coulter led off the second inning with a home run to left-center field on a 1-0 offering from Hawks starter Austin Platt to give Wisconsin an early 1-0 lead. Coulter gave the Hawks a feeling of déjà vu in the third inning as he pounded his third homer of the series to the exact same spot. This pushed the Timber Rattlers ahead 4-0 as second baseman Francisco Castillo had reached on a single to center field and right fielder Michael Ratterre followed with a walk. Then, after falling behind 2-1 in the count, Platt gave up his third homer of the afternoon, this one to third baseman Taylor Brennan, and the Hawks chased a 5-0 deficit.

The South Bend Silver Hawks, Class-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, struck back in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, third baseman Joe Munoz singled to left. Then on a 2-0 count, left fielder Zach Esquerra homered to left-center for his first hit of the young season. Right Fielder Colin Bray followed with a single to center, but before another rally started, Wisconsin starting pitcher Zach Quintana recorded back-to-back strike outs against second baseman Josh Parr and center fielder Breland Almadova.

Wisconsin continued their slugfest in the fifth inning. Ratterre connected on a 0-1 pitch for a solo homer to left-center. With a 15 knot wind blowing out of the park, it turned the Fun Zone into a bullseye as all Timber Rattler homers landed in almost exactly the same spot near the inflatables.

The Hawks struck back in the bottom of the fifth with a run of their own. Shortstop Andrew Velazquez led off the frame with a triple that bounced off the wall in center. Designated hitter Jamie Westbrook plated Velazaquez with this 4-3 ground out and made the score 6-3.

A little excitement ensued when, with catcher Micahel Perez at the plate, just before Quintana began his delivery, timeout was granted. As Perez stepped out of the box and reached the edge of the dirt, Quintana continued to throw home. The pitch appeared to slip in Quintana's grip and struck Perez. The players had to be separated by the coaching staffs and umpires.

South Bend added another run in the bottom of the sixth. Esquerra drew a walk off Wisconsin reliever Tyler Linehan (W, 1-1, BS, 1). After stealing second base, Esquerra came around to score on a double down the left field line by Bray. Bray was able to advance to third on a 6-3 groundout by Almadova, but Velazquez was unable to beat out a throw to first on his bunt attempt and the inning ended with the Hawks trailing 6-4.

The Timber Rattlers, Class-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, added to their home run tally with their fifth of the day in the seventh. Designated hitter, Chris McFarland launched an offering from Hawks reliever Ben Eckels into the Tiki Hut in left.

The Hawks managed a rally of their own to knot the score in the seventh. With one out, Perez doubled off the top of the left field wall. Linehan then issued back-to-back walks to first baseman Daniel Palka and third baseman Joe Munoz to load the bases. Then things started to get interesting. Esquerra hit a ground ball to Brennan at third. Brennan proceeded to step on the bag to force out Palka. As Perez was headed for home, Brennan fired the ball across the diamond in attempt to get Esquerra at first for the double play. His throw sailed wide of first and into the Hawks bullpen. This allowed not only Perez to score, but for Munoz to come all the way around from first. Esquerra was able to move up to second on the E-5 throwing. Bray then brought Esquerra home with his single to shallow center and the Hawks had tied the game at 7.

After recording the first out in the eighth, Eckels struggled to find his control. Back-to-back walks were issued to first baseman David Denson and center fielder Johnny Davis before left fielder Omar Garcia singled to center to load the bases. A Castillo bloop single to center scored Denson. Davis scampered home after Eckels' third walk of the inning gave Ratterre a free pass. While Coulter was batting, a wild pitch from Eckels allowed Garica to cross the plate for the third run of the inning. After Coulter was walked, Jose Jose entered in relief of Eckels. McFarland lofted a ball into center to bring Castillo home on the sacrifice and push the Timber Rattlers ahead for good at 11-7.

The Silver Hawks will cross the Mississippi River for a six game road trip. The roadie starts Monday when they will take on the Cedar Rapids Kernals, the Class-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Aaron Blair (0-1, 4.50) is scheduled to start for South Bend in the opener. Aaron Slegers (1-0, 2.45) will take the hill for the Kernals.

Thursday through Saturday the Silver Hawks will be looking for revenge at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa, the scene of the Quad Cities River Bandits' win over the Hawks in the 2013 Midwest League Championship Series. Quad Cities is the Class-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.

The Hawks return to Four Winds Field on Monday April 21, to take on the Dayton Dragons. It will be a Belly Buster Monday, presented by Kayem Foods. Upgrade your ticket for a wristband that includes unlimited hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn and peanuts during the game, all for $15! First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.



Midwest League Stories from April 13, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central