The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers completed the doubleheader sweep of the Peoria Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium with a 6-5 victory. Thomas Dillard homered twice in the game, including a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth to break a 4-4 tie.
Peoria (19-28) jumped to an early lead when Jhon Torres hit a home run on the second pitch of the game. The Chiefs added to their edge with a two-out, RBI single by Zade Richardson.
Wisconsin (21-25) tied the game in the bottom of the first inning when Dillard hit a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the first.
The Chiefs went back in front in the top of the second inning with a two-out, two-run home run by Malcom Nunez.
The Timber Rattlers tied the game again in the bottom of the third inning. David Hamilton singled to start the inning. Korry Howell was next and he blasted a triple high off the wall in center to score Hamilton. Dillard was at the plate with one out, Howell at third, and the Peoria infielders playing in to cut down the run at the plate. Dillard sent a grounder to second baseman Chandler Redmond, who came home with the throw. Howell got a great jump on contact, the throw was a bit off target, and Howell was able to slide home ahead of the tag to score the tying run.
In the top of the fifth inning, Nunez reached on an error with one out. Whalen was next and hit a line drive that hit a foot from the top of the wall in right field. Carlos Rodríguez got the ball in quickly to second baseman Hayden Cantrelle, the cutoff man in short right. Cantrelle took a brief look to second before firing a one-hop strike to the plate. Dillard fielded the ball and tagged Nunez, who did not slide in an attempt to avoid the tag.
The defense wasn’t done in the inning. Garrett Mitchell made a diving catch on a fly ball to shallow center off the bat of Chandler Redmond. If the ball dropped in for a hit, Whalen would have scored the go-ahead run.
Dillard gave Wisconsin the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning with a lead-off home run against Leonardo Taveras. The drive cleared the fence in right-center and traveled 438 feet for a 5-4 lead. Dillard had four RBI in the nightcap and five RBI total in the doubleheader on Sunday.
Rodríguez and Cantrelle didn’t just save a run in the game. They also teamed up to add an insurance run in the sixth. Cantrelle drew a four-pitch walk against Taveras. Rodríguez knocked in Cantrelle with an RBI triple to right against Paul Schwendel, the fourth Peoria pitcher of the game, and Wisconsin was up 6-4.
Carlos Luna, who entered the game for Wisconsin in the fourth inning, got the first two outs in the top of the seventh and had two strikes on Torres before Torres doubled. Nunez had a 3-2 count against him and singled home Torres to make it a one-run game.
Taylor Floyd was summoned from the Wisconsin bullpen to face Whalen and the Wisconsin right-hander got Whalen to strikeout to end the game for his fourth save of the season and give the Rattlers the doubleheader sweep.
Wisconsin and Peoria have split the eighteen games they have played against each other this season. They still have six games left in the season series.
The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday. They return to action on Tuesday to start a series at Pohlman Field against the Beloit Snappers. Justin Jarvis (0-5, 6.62) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Zach McCambley (2-2, 2.88) has been named the starting pitcher for the Snappers. Game time is 6:35pm.
