The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers rallied from an early 2-0 deficit and four of their pitchers pitched into and out of trouble all afternoon long for a hard-fought 6-2 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels Sunday afternoon at Perfect Game Field.
Cedar Rapids (53-43) took the lead in the bottom of the first inning. Wisconsin starting pitcher TJ Shook, who was making his debut after being called up from the Carolina Mudcats last week, walked two of the first three batters he faced. Wander Javier hit an RBI single to score the Kernels first run.
Shook allowed a single and two walks to start the bottom of the second inning and the Kernels had the bases loaded with no outs and the top of their order due to hit. Shook threw a run-scoring wild pitch but didn’t allow another run in the inning.
Wisconsin (45-50) tied the game in the top of the third. Carlos Rodríguez singled to left with one out. Joey Wiemer lined home run to left-center just to the left of the 407’ marker on the wall with two outs. Wiemer’s home run was his sixth as a Timber Rattler and evened the score 2-2.
Felix Valerio, who was also called up to the Rattlers from Carolina last week, gave Wisconsin the lead in the top of the fifth inning with a two-out, solo home run to left. The homer, Valerio’s third of the series, put Wisconsin up 3-2.
Shook pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth to finish his afternoon. He walked five, struck out seven, and allowed two runs on three hits over five innings to turn the game over to the bullpen.
The Timber Rattlers offense added to their lead after Cristían Sierra pitched a scoreless sixth with two strikeouts. Yeison Coca doubled with two outs in the top of the to keep the seventh inning alive. Rodríguez cashed in the opportunity with a single to drive in Coca for a 4-2 lead.
Harold Chirino took over on the mound for the Rattlers after the stretch and gave up a lead-off walk and a one-out single to put runners on the corners. Chirino bounced back to strike out the next two batters to end the inning.
Wiemer started the Wisconsin eighth inning with a double and he stole third base with one out. Joe Gray Jr. smacked a single through the drawn-in infield to score Wiemer. Later in the inning, Antonio Piñero singled to knock in Gray for a 6-2 lead.
Chirino got the first out of the bottom of the eighth but gave up a double and a walk before getting the second out of the inning with his fourth strikeout. Evan Reifert was called from the Wisconsin bullpen as their fourth pitcher of the game.
Edouard Julien made the game even more interesting as he sent a weak grounder up the third base line for an infield single to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate. Reifert spoiled the comeback story with a three-pitch strikeout of Yunior Severino to send the game to the ninth inning.
Matt Wallner singled to start the bottom of the ninth. Then, Reifert closed out the game with three straight strikeouts for his fourth save of the season.
Wisconsin pitchers combined for seventeen strikeouts in the game. Plus, they did not allow a home run in the game. That ended a streak of thirteen straight games in which the Rattlers had given up a homer.
Cedar Rapids stranded eleven runners and went 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position.
Wiemer had three hits, scored two runs, stole a base, and drove in two runs. He was missing a triple for the cycle.
The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday before they continue their two-week excursion to Iowa on Tuesday when they face the Quad Cities River Bandits at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport. The teams will restart their suspended game from June 20 at 4:00pm. A seven-inning game will follow the conclusion of the suspended game.
