The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers rode an early 8-0 lead to a 10-4 victory over the Peoria Chiefs at Dozer Park on Wednesday night. Carlos Rodríguez and Je’Von Ward each had three hits and drove in two runs for Wisconsin on the way to the team’s third win in a row.
The Timber Rattlers (30-31) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Ward doubled with two outs to score Hayden Cantrelle for the 1-0 lead. Wisconsin grabbed a 5-0 lead with four runs in the top of the second. Nick Kahle started the scoring in the frame with a home run to left, his first home run of the season. Cantrelle singled with two outs to keep the inning alive. Rodríguez was next and he tripled to right-center to send Cantrelle across the plate. Korry Howell followed with titanic home run to left-center. The blast was Howell’s tenth home run of the season.
The Rattlers poured it on in the top of the third with here more runs. Ward and Jesús Lujano started the inning with singles. Yeison Coca followed with an RBI single to score Ward. A throw to third was cutoff and an attempt was made to get Coca at second, but the throw was wild to let Lujano score. Later in the inning, Cantrelle drove in a run with a sacrifice fly for an 8-0 advantage.
Peoria (22-40) got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning. Wisconsin starting pitcher Reese Olson hit Chandler Redmond on a 1-2 pitch with one out. Tyler Reichenborn made Olson pay when he tripled to right-center to get Redmond home. The throw to third to try to get Reichenborn hit him and deflected to the Wisconsin dugout. Reichenborn got up and scrambled home before the ball could be reached. The next two batters reached base, but Olson stopped the rally dead in its tracks by getting Imeldo Diaz to ground into an inning-ended 6-4-3 double play.
Olson worked five innings, struck out seven, and turned the 8-2 lead over o the bullpen. The Chiefs chipped away with two more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Leandro Cedeno hit a two-run home run with two outs and Peoria was down 8-4 heading to the eighth inning.
Wisconsin got both of those runs back in the top of the eighth inning. Rodríguez doubled home the first run and Ward’s RBI single plated Rodríguez for a 10-4 lead. Rodríguez came to the plate in the top of the ninth inning needing a home run to complete the cycle, but he grounded into a force play.
Nash Walters worked a perfect eighth with two strikeouts and Brady Schanuel worked a perfect ninth with three strikeouts to close out the game and send the Chiefs to their eighth consecutive loss.
Game three of the series is Thursday night at Dozer Park. Carlos Luna (2-0, 0.92) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. The Chiefs have named Logan Gragg (0-3, 7.01) as their starter. Game time is 6:35pm. The broadcast will be on AM1280, WNAM and internet audio starting at 6:15pm. The game is also available on MiLB.tv.
(Photo from Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Nick Guenther)
