The start of the game did not go well for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Tuesday night at Neuroscience Group Field, but the finish was just fine for the home team. The Quad Cities River Bandits scored three quick runs in the first inning. The Rattlers, led by big offensive nights from Ram?n Rodríguez and Jheremy Vargas, stormed back from the early deficit to claim a 9-5 victory and maintain their position at the top of the West Division.
The River Bandits (23-29) jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. A walk and a catcher’s interference with one out set the stage. Kale Emshoff ripped a double to left to score both runners. Carson Roccaforte followed with an RBI double to right.
Wisconsin (33-19) responded with four runs after two outs in the bottom of the first. Dylan O’Rae was hit by a pitch and Rodríguez walked with two outs. Tayden Hall singled to right to score O’Rae. Jesús Chirinos put the Rattlers in front with a three-run homer when he lifted a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left.
Quad Cities came back in the top of the second as they loaded the bases with one out. Brett Squires singled to left to drive in the tying run with an error on the play allowing the go-ahead run to score.
The Timber Rattlers continued to use the long ball to retake the lead. Vargas hit a lead-off homer in the bottom of the second. Rodríguez put the Rattlers in front with a lead-off homer in the third.
O’Rae, who moved his current on-base streak to sixteen games earlier in the night, was hit by a pitch with two outs in the fourth inning. Rodríguez followed with a double high off the wall in left to drive in O’Rae for a 7-5 lead.
Rodríguez started the Rattlers final rally in the seventh inning with a lead-off double, his third hit of the game. Eduarqui Fernández doubled with two outs to knock in Rodríguez. Vargas followed with his second double – and third hit of the game – to account for the final run of the game.
Wisconsin’s bullpen did their job as they tossed 5-1/3 scoreless innings. Starting pitcher Mark Manfredi battled through the first three innings and retired the first two batters of the fourth. Chase Costello, who picked up the win, got the final out of the fourth and pitched a scoreless fifth for 1-1/3 shutout innings with a strikeout.
Brian Fitzpatrick scattered four hits and struck out five over three innings. He was also the beneficiary of a great defensive play by Rodríguez. Jared Dickey started the sixth inning with a double with the Rattlers still up by two runs. Dickey strayed too far from second with one out and Rodríguez fired down to Jadher Areinamo covering to pick Dickey off for the second out. The next two batters reached on a walk and a strikeout before Fitzpatrick got the final out of the inning on a strikeout.
Bayden Root pitched a perfect ninth to close out the game.
Rodríguez was 3-for-4 with a homer, two doubles, a walk, two RBI, and three runs scored for the Rattlers.
In the first-half West Division race, Wisconsin maintained their 1-1/2 game lead over the second place Cedar Rapids Kernels. Cedar Rapids defeated the Great Lakes Loons on the road 5-2 on Tuesday night. There are fourteen games remaining in the first half of the season.
Game two of the series is Wednesday afternoon. Tate Kuehner (2-1, 3.86) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Ben Kudrna (2-4, 3.72) is set to start for the River Bandits. Game time is 12:10pm.
