The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers left fans with a warm feeling at the end of an unseasonably cool game as they rallied past the Quad Cities River Bandits for an 8-7, walkoff win in game one of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Rattlers trailed 7-4 heading into their final at bat of game one. They scored four times with the newest member of the team coming up with the hit that led to the tying and winning runs crossing the plate.
Quad Cities (35-18) took the lead in the top of the third inning. Tucker Bradley drove in the first run of the from with a double to left-center to score Jimmy Govern. A walk to Nick Loftin put two runners on base. Wisconsin starting pitcher Reese Olson retired the next batter on a popup and got ahead of Michael Massey with two quick strikes. The next pitch got too much of the plate and Massey hit a home run to right to give the River Bandits a 4-0 lead.
Hayden Cantrelle cut into that lead in the bottom of the third inning with a two-out, two-run double to score Carlos Rodríguez and David Hamilton. Both Rodríguez and Hamilton had walked to get on base in the inning.
Wisconsin (26-28) tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Thomas Dillard started the inning with a double. Je’Von Ward grounded a hit up the middle with one out to score Dillard and he hustled into second to make it a double. A wild pitch let Ward take third base and the River Bandits decided to bring the infield in on the grass. LG Castillo cashed in the opportunity by chopping a single over the infield to send Ward home with the tying run.
The hit by Castillo extended his hitting streak to eleven games.
Olson gave up a single and a walk to the first two batters in the top of the fifth inning. He got the next two outs and the River Bandits had runners at the corners with two outs. Massey sent a hard grounder to short right and Cantrelle made a diving stop. However, he rushed his throw to first from his knees and the toss was off target to allow Massey to reach and the go-ahead run to score from third base.
The River Bandits added to their lead in the top of the sixth against reliever Nash Walters. A walk and a bunt single started the rally. Then, Govern dropped a sacrifice bunt and Walters looked to third before throwing wildly to first to allow a run to score. Logan Porter followed with a sacrifice fly and the River Bandits had a 7-4 lead.
The winning rally in the bottom of the seventh started with a lead-off walk to Rodríguez from reliever Will Klein. Nick Kahle followed with a double and Hayden Cantrelle drew a one-out walk to load the bases and end Klein’s day.
Garrett Davila took over on the mound and fell behind Korry Howell 3-1. Howell, nearly ended the game with one swing of the bat when he hit a line drive off the top of the wall in left for a two-run double to pull Wisconsin to within a run.
The River Bandits elected to walk Dillard intentionally to load the bases and that brought Joe Gray Jr. to the plate.
Gray, who was making his Timber Rattlers debut in this game after being promoted from Carolina, sent a grounder deep in the hole at short for a game-tying single. Loftin tried to get the force play on second on Dillard, but threw wildly and that allowed Howell to score the winning run.
The win was the third straight for the Timber Rattlers.
