The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have led in all five games against the Quad Cities River Bandits this week at Modern Woodmen Park. That included a 5-1 lead on Friday night against the team with the best record in the High-A Central League. However, the River Bandits rallied past Wisconsin, withstood a late rally Rattler rally to tie the game, and eventually won 8-6 on a two-run, walkoff home run by Will Hancock in the bottom of the ninth.
Wisconsin (47-53) broke through on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth. River Bandits starting pitcher Charlie Neuweiler had retired the first nine batters he faced. Carlos Rodríguez started the inning with a single to extend his hitting streak to six games. Felix Valerio followed with a double and Wisconsin had two runners in scoring position.
Zavier Warren drove in Rodríguez and got Valerio to third base with a ground out. Then, Joe Gray Jr. got Valerio home with another ground out. Ashton McGee made the score 3-0 with a two-out, solo homer. The home run was McGee’s first as a Timber Rattler.
Timber Rattlers starting pitcher Justin Jarvis was nicked for an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth. He walked two batters on eight pitches with one out. Jarvis got the second out and kept the runners at first and second. Gavin Stupienski should have been the final out of the inning, but his grounder to second has kicked for an error to score a run. Jarvis bounced back to get the final out of the inning.
The Timber Rattlers added to their lead in the top of the sixth inning. Freddy Zamora singled with two outs to drive in the first run of the inning. Kekai Rios was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded later in the frame to drive in another run for a 5-1 lead.
Quad Cities (66-33) didn’t let Wisconsin enjoy their four-run cushion for long. The first two River Bandits to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning reached on walk and a double against reliever Freisis Adames. Eric Cole followed with a single to right to drive in both runs and the Wisconsin lead was down to two runs.
Michael Massey erased the lead completely in the bottom of the seventh. Reliever Evan Reifert gave up a leadoff single to Tucker Bradley. Then, Massey hit an 0-2 pitch deep to right for a two-run home run. Massey’s eighteenth home run of the season tied the game 5-5.
Reifert retired the next two batters, but walked the bases loaded on thirteen pitches to the next three batters. He got ahead of Hancock, who had struck out in his previous three at bats. However, Reifert hit Hancock with a 1-2 pitch and that forced in the go-ahead run for the River Bandits.
The Timber Rattlers offense fought back in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game against reliever Will Kleine. McGee started the inning with a single, but he was still at first with two outs. Rios delivered in the clutch as he lined a 1-2 pitch to the corner in right and McGee beat the throw to the plate to even the score 6-6.
The game appeared to be heading for extra innings. Quad Cities couldn’t take advantage of a lead-off walk in the eighth, Rodríguez was caught trying to steal second after a single to start the top of the ninth, and Wisconsin reliever Harold Chirino struck out the first two River Bandits in the bottom of the ninth.
Then, Chirino walked Stupienski on four pitches, the tenth walk of the night by Wisconsin pitchers. Hancock was next and he lined a 1-1 pitch to left for a two-run homer and an 8-6, walkoff win for the River Bandits.
Wisconsin is 2-3 this week against the River Bandits and have lost three in a row.
The series continues Saturday night at Modern Woodmen Park. TJ Shook (1-0, 3.60) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. The River Bandits (5-4, 4.06) is scheduled to start for the River Bandits. Game time is 6:30pm.
(Photo by Nick Guenther, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers)
