The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Beloit Snappers went down to the final out for the third night in a row at Pohlman Field on Friday night. Wisconsin trailed 5-1 heading into the eighth inning and scored three runs over the final two innings to cut the deficit to a single run. The Rattlers couldn’t manage to scratch out the tying run and wound up on the short end of a 5-4 score.
Beloit (26-26) took the lead with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Connor Scott singled to start the inning, stole second, and went to third on a flyout to center. Troy Johnston drove in Scott with a ground out and the Snappers were up 1-0.
Wisconsin (23-28) didn’t get their first base runner against Snappers starting pitcher Zach King until there were two outs in the top of the fourth. Garrett Mitchell drew a walk, stole second, and went to third on a throwing error. King walked Thomas Dillard to put runners on the corners, but got a ground out to end the inning.
Carlos Luna, the starting pitcher for Wisconsin, didn’t allow much of anything after the first inning. He worked around a one-out double in the fifth inning with two straight strikeouts and retired eleven of the last twelve batters he faced. Luna allowed one run on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts over his six innings of work on Friday.
The duo of Mitchell and Dillard tied the game in the top of the sixth with a two-out rally. Mitchell cracked a triple to left-center with two outs. Dillard followed with a line single to right to score Mitchell and the score was 1-1. That was Wisconsin’s only run off King. The lefty, who entered the game with a 1-6 record and a 6.80 ERA, allowed one run on four hits and struck out eight.
The Snappers went back in front in the bottom of the seventh inning with four runs and that put King in line for the win. Reliever Zach Mort walked Griffin Conine to start the inning and a passed ball allowed Conine to take second. Thomas Jones broke the tie with a double to center to drive in Conine. Then, Bubba Hollins reached on a fielder’s choice that put runners on the corners. There was a grounder to short and Jones was trying to advance to third. The throw to third was a little off line and Jones was safe to set up Marcos Rivera.
Rivera cleared the bases with a three-run home run and the Snappers had a 5-1 lead.
Mitchell stepped to the plate with two outs and none on base in the top of the eighth inning against reliever Jackson Rose and he drew another walk. Dillard was next and he launched a long homer to right and the Rattlers were within two runs. The home run was the seventh of the season for Dillard. His three RBI on the night gives him 42 on the season.
LG Castillo, who had extended his hitting streak to a season-high eight games earlier in the night with a single, started the Wisconsin ninth inning with a towering home run to center. The homer was his second of the season and got the Rattlers to within a run. However, Rose retired the next three batters to close out the game and send the Rattlers to their third straight one-run loss at the hands of their in-state rivals.
Game five of the series is Saturday night at Pohlman Field. Justin Bullock (3-1, 3.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Antonio Velez (2-0, 3.41) is set to start for the Snappers. Game time is 6:35pm. The radio broadcast is on AM 1280 WNAM starting with the pregame show at 6:15pm.
