The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers closed out their road trip to Modern Woodmen Park with a 3-1 victory over the Quad Cities River Bandits on Sunday afternoon. Ramon Rodríguez drove in all three runs for the Rattlers, including a two-out, two-run single in the top of the eighth to break a 1-1 tie.
The game was scoreless through six innings. Wisconsin starting pitcher Mark Manfredi was on his game for his second scheduled short start of the series. He allowed one hit and struck out three over three innings. Oscar Rayo, the Bandits starter, worked five scoreless innings and allowed three hits with three strikeouts.
Rodríguez gave Wisconsin (67-40 overall, 25-16 second half) the lead in the seventh inning. The Timber Rattlers catcher hit a lead-off home run against reliever Chase Isbell for a 1-0 lead. The homer was his eighth of the season, and his fourth against Quad Cities this season.
Stiven Cruz, who had pitched around traffic in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings without allowing a run, walked Deivis Nadal with one out in the bottom of the eighth to start rally for Quad Cities (51-56, 21-21). Aaron Rund was called into the game to try to preserve the lead.
Nadal stole second and moved to third after a sliding catch by Luis Lara in center for the second out of the inning. Dustin Dickerson tied the game when he lined a 2-2 pitch from Rund to right for an RBI single.
There were more twists and turns in the top of the eighth inning than there have been in most games this season. Luis Lara singled to start the inning against Isbell. Lara stole second but was ruled to have overslid the base and was tagged out for the first out of the inning. Then, Cooper Pratt singled to reach base. That was the end of the line for Isbell.
Ben Sears took over on the mound for the Bandits. He hit Luke Adams on a 1-0 pitch to put two runners on base. It was the second time Adams was hit on Sunday and the 36th time he has been hit this season. The River Bandits argued that Adams did not attempt to move but the argument did not move plate umpire Shea Graham.
Sears missed with his first two pitches to Jadher Areinamo. He turned away from the plate and apparently said something that caught the attention of base umpire Jonathan Rector, who ejected Sears from the game. By the time the arguments ended, Quad Cities manager Brooks Conrad had been ejected by Rector and Hunter Owen, who was the starting pitcher for Quad Cities on Saturday, was tossed from the game for putting in his two cents from the dugout by Graham.
AJ Block took over the count on Areinamo for Sears and issued a walk to load the base.
That brought Rodríguez back to the plate with a chance to put the Rattlers in front again. Rodríguez with a single to the hole at short that deflected off the glove of Dickerson. Pratt and Adams both scored for the 3-1 lead.
Rund worked around a two-out walk in the eighth. In the ninth, Kyle Hayes doubled with two outs to give Dickerson another chance to tie the game. Rund denied Dickerson with a strikeout to end the game.
The Rattlers are back home on Tuesday to start a series with the Peoria Chiefs. Game time is 6:40pm CDT at Neuroscience Group Field.
