The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scored five times in the eighth inning to defeat the Quad Cities River Bandits 10-6 in a back-and-forth game on a steamy Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The game featured four blown saves and five lead changes with the Rattlers coming out on top.
Wisconsin (24-26 second half, 50-64 overall) grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Eduarqui Fernández doubled to start the inning. Robert Moore cracked a two-run homer to right with one out for the first runs of the game. The homer was the eighth of the season for Moore.
Quad Cities (18-33, 50-66) rallied to take the lead in the top of the sixth. Timber Rattlers starting pitcher Cameron Wagoner, who had allowed one hit over the first five innings, allowed a lead-off single to River Town to start the sixth. Sam Gardner was called in from the bullpen and appeared to get the first out of the inning on a routine flyball to left off the bat of Carter Jensen. However, Hendry Mendez lost the ball in the Sun and the ball dropped in for a double to put runners at second and third. The River Bandits took advantage of the miscue as Shervyen Newton doubled to right to score both runners. Then, Herard Gonzalez doubled to right to score Newton for a 3-2 lead.
The Timber Rattlers answered back in the bottom of the sixth to retake the lead. They loaded the bases with one out on a single by Joe Gray Jr and back-to-back walks to Alex Hall and Darrien Miller. It took a two-out, bloop single by Jheremy Vargas to score two runs and put Wisconsin up 4-3.
Brock Wilken and Mike Boeve combined for back-to-back doubles in the Wisconsin seventh to add an insurance run for the Rattlers.
However, the River Bandits rallied for three runs in the top of the eighth inning to go back in front with the only ball to leave the infield happening on the final out.
The first two batters reached against Stiven Cruz on an infield single and a walk. Eric Kennedy followed with a bunt single with Boeve throwing wildly to first. The tying runs scored, and Kennedy wound up on third by the time the play was over. A hit batsman and a fielder’s choice loaded the bases with no outs.
Cruz got the first out on a force play at the plate and the second out on a strikeout. He had a count of 1-2 on Town but wound up walking him to force in a run to put the Rattlers down 6-5.
Vargas started the Wisconsin comeback with a one-out double in the bottom of the eighth. Then, Moore banged a double off the wall in left to score Vargas and tie the game.
Boeve stepped to the plate with two outs and Moore at third and more than made up for his defensive miscue by ripping a double to the corner in right to give the Rattlers a 7-6 lead.
Then, Mendez reached on an infield single by beating out a throw to first with Boeve racing around to score on the play for an 8-6 lead.
Alex Hall capped the scoring with a two-out, two-run double for a 10-6 lead.
Tanner Shears worked around a lead-off walk and a one-out single in the ninth with a game-ending 6-4-3 double play to close out Wisconsin’s second straight win of the series.
Gray was on base five times in five plate appearances to lead the Wisconsin offense. He had a single, a double, three walks, a stolen base, and two runs scored. Moore had two hits and three RBI. Vargas, Boeve, and Mendez each had two hits as the Rattlers collected fourteen hits in the game. They were 8-for-20 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday.
Game three of the series is Thursday night. Alexander Cornielle (0-3, 5.45) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Quad Cities has named Cruz Noriega (3-3, 3.42) as their starter. Game time is 6:40pm.
