The Great Lakes Loons were up 9-0 before the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had a runner on base Saturday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Loons went on to defeat Wisconsin 13-2.
Great Lakes (47-42) scored three runs in the top of the first inning off Wisconsin starting pitcher Justin Jarvis. Ryan Ward started the game with a double and moved to third on a single by Carson Taylor. A wild pitch let Ward score. Then, Andy Pages singled to left to score Taylor from second. Later in the inning, Brandon Lewis drew a two-out walk. Jonny DeLuca was next and he doubled to left to score Lewis for the 3-0 lead.
Jarvis retired the first two Loons he faced in the top of the second, but a walk to Ward and single to Taylor ended his day. Reliever John LaRossa entered and walked Pages to load the bases. Eddys Leonard sent a grounder to deep short and Antonio Piñero made a diving stop, got to his feet, and fired to first. The throw to first was wild and two runs scored on the play.
The Loons tacked on four runs in the top of the third inning to go up 9-0. Ward and Taylor had consecutive two-RBI singles for Great Lakes.
Wisconsin (42-46) struggled against Hyun il-Choi, the Loons starting pitcher. He retired the first nine batters he faced. Joey Wiemer broke that string with an infield single in the bottom of the fourth. Then, Zavier Warren doubled and Joe Gray Jr walked to load the bases. Je’Von Ward drove in Wiemer with a sacrifice fly. Choi got the second out of the inning on force play at second and got out of the inning with a strikeout.
Zac Ching hit a home run in the top of the sixth inning for Great Lakes. It was his third home run of the series.
Wiemer and Warren combined get the Rattlers on the scoreboard against in the bottom of the eighth. Wiemer doubled to start the inning and Warren singled to right to score his second run of the game. The Timber Rattlers had five hits in the game. Wiemer and Warren each had two hits.
Wisconsin relievers Cristían Sierra and Brady Schanuel worked through the eighth inning. Sierra allowed two hits and struck out three over 2-1/3 scoreless innings. Schanuel pitched three innings, gave up one run on one hit with two walks and seven strikeouts. That left Wisconsin one inning short and the call went out to position player Chad McClanahan to pitch the top of the ninth.
McClanahan, the third Wisconsin position player to pitch for the Timber Rattlers this season, gave up a lead-off home run to Deacon Liput and a one-out, solo homer to Ward. Brandon Lewis drove in the final run of the game with a two-out RBI single.
The Timber Rattlers went down in order in the bottom of the ninth.
The final game of the series is Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. Freisis Adames (4-2, 5.68) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Clayton Beeter (0-4, 3.12) is set to start for the Loons. Game time is 1:05pm.
