The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Peoria Chiefs participated in a baseball game disguised as a test of nerves on Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field. The Rattlers scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally for a 12-7 lead before needing to hang on for a 13-11 victory over their West Division rivals.
Peoria (22-26) took the lead with two unearned runs in the top of the second inning. Won-Bin Cho was at second with two outs when Tre Richardson III hit a grounder to Andrew Fischer at third base. Fischer’s throw to first was wild and Peoria had runners on the corners instead being done for the inning. Luis Pino made the Rattlers pay with a two-run single after Richardson stole second.
Wisconsin (25-20) rallied to take the lead and knocked Peoria starting pitcher Tanner Franklin out of the game in the bottom of the second. Josh Adamczewski started the inning with a walk. Eric Bitonti drove in Adamczewski with a 109-mph line drive off the wall in center for a triple. Daniel Dickinson drew a walk and stole second. Luis Castillo fell behind 0-2 in the count before working the count full and knocking in Bitonti with a grounder to second on the eleventh pitch of the at bat. Franklin got the second out of the inning with a strikeout but had to leave as he had reached 35 pitches in the inning and 62 for the game.
Then, Josiah Ragsdale put the Rattlers ahead with a single to right against Jason Savacool.
The Timber Rattlers were primed to blow the game open in the bottom of the fourth against Bobby Olsen. The Chiefs reliever gave up a single to David Garcia, a walk to Ragsdale, and a single to Luis Peña to load the bases with no outs. Fischer drew a walk to force in a run for at 4-2 lead. However, Olsen struck out the next three batters to end the inning.
The Chiefs made the Rattlers regret the inability to add to their lead when they took their turn in the fourth. Peoria had two on with two out against Travis Smith when Cho lined a double to left to score both runs and tie the game 4-4.
Pino made a huge difference in the game on two consecutive plays. In the bottom of the fifth, he ran down a deep fly in center to deny Ragsdale a game-tying hit with a fine catch for the final out to strand a Rattler at second. In the top of the sixth, Pino drilled a lead-off home run for a 5-4 lead.
Peña, who reached base five times in the game with two hits and three walks, drew a lead-off walk in the bottom of the sixth for the Rattlers. Fischer lined a single to right to put Peña on third base. Dinges grounded into a 5-4-3 double play, but Peña scored the tying run.
The tie did not last long. Cade McGee singled and Cho doubled with one out in the top of the seventh. Wisconsin brought the infield in with José Suárez at the plate only to watch Suárez single sharply up the middle to score both runners for a 7-5 lead.
The Peoria lead did not last long either. In the bottom of the seventh, the first seven Timber Rattlers reached base and all seven scored. Patrick Galle, who had pitched the sixth inning walked Bitonti and Dickinson before a single by Castillo loaded the bases. Garcia singled to left to score two runs to tie the game. A walk to Ragsdale reloaded the bases and ended the night for Galle.
Gerardo Salas became the fifth Peoria pitcher of the night. Peña blooped in a single to right to score the go-ahead run. Fischer to force in the fourth run of the inning. Dinges made it 10-7 with an RBI grounder and Adamczewski added a sacrifice fly.
Bitonti capped the frame with an RBI double. The seven-run uprising made it 12-7.
The Chiefs had another rally in them as they plated four runs in the top of the eighth. Jack Gurevich singled home a run with one out. Smith, who was approaching 90 pitches on the night, gave up two more singles to load the bases before turning the game over to Yerlin Rodriguez.
Cho welcomed Rodriguez to the mound by lining a triple to right-center on a 3-2 pitch. That scored three runs, cut Wisconsin’s lead to 12-11, and put the tying run on third. Rodriguez wiggled off the hook with a strikeout for the second out. Richardson hit a high chopper to third and Fischer’s rushed throw to first was in the dirt. Bitonti made a big dig with the scoop as the throw was in time to get Richardson for the final out.
Garcia gave the Rattlers some breathing room with a lead-off homer in the bottom of the eighth. The homer was his second of the season. He finished the night 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBI.
The drama wasn’t done in the top of the ninth. A lead-off single and a two-out walk brought the go-ahead run to the plate for Peoria. Rodriguez got the final out on a grounder to second as the Rattlers survived to earn their second win in a row,
Bitonti went 3-for-4 with three extra-base hits and two RBI for the Rattlers. Fischer and Dickinson both drew four walks in the game as Wisconsin drew fifteen walks from Peoria pitching.
Cho knocked in five runs for the Chiefs.
Game five of the series is Friday night at Neuroscience Group Field. Ethan Dorchies (1-4, 7.18) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Leonel Sequera (1-4, 9.16) is set to start for the Chiefs. Game time is 6:40pm.
