The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers did everything right on Thursday night as they set a record and set a Milwaukee Brewers pitcher on his path back to the playoff race in the National League. The Rattlers hit six homers, played flawless defense, and had five pitchers combine on a one-hitter to defeat the Lansing Lugnuts 10-0 at Neuroscience Group Field.
Kyle Harrison, making a rehab start for Milwaukee, allowed a lead-off double in the third inning, walked three, and struck out five over 5-2/3 scoreless innings to lead the pitchers. Braylon Payne hit a pair of solo homers to become the second Rattler player to reach twenty homers this season.
Eric Bitonti gave Wisconsin (51-43 overall, 17-15 second half) the lead with a two-out, solo homer to right. The homer was the seventeenth of the season for Bitonti and the 117th of the season for the team to tie the franchise record. The 2021 Rattlers set the team with 117 homers in 119 games.
The Rattlers didn’t have to wait long to break the team record. Tayden Hall launched a lead-off home run to left-center in the second inning for a 2-0 lead. Hall’s ninth Midwest League homer of the season was #118 for the team and occurred in their 94th game of the season.
The Lugnuts (41-55, 12-20) had their best chance to score in the top of the third. Logan Suave doubled up the first base line and Harrison walked the next batter. The Brewers starter got a strikeout and a 5-3 double play to end the threat.
Payne got into the longball act with a solo homer to deep right-center with one out in the third inning.
Wisconsin stepped on the gas in the bottom of the fifth. Luiyin Alastre walked, stole second, went to third on a flyout, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Yannic Walther. Payne and Daniel Dickinson followed that with back-to-back homers for a 6-0 lead.
Payne reached twenty home runs on the season with his second homer of the game to join Andrew Fischer for the most homers by a Rattler this season. Payne is two homers shy of the Timber Rattlers single-season record for homers by an individual. Khris Davis, Victor Roache, and Clint Coulter are all tied for the record of 22 homers in a season.
Harrison left the game after retiring the first two batters in the top of the sixth. He made 68 pitches with 44 strikes in the game and included one web gem of his own with a behind-the-back grab of a grounder up the middle.
Alastre hit Wisconsin’s sixth homer of the game in the bottom of the sixth. It was his first home run of the season, and first since April 27, 2025 when he was a member of the Carolina Mudcats. Wisconsin’s new team record is 122 and it will reset every time the Rattlers homer this season.
The Rattlers racked up two more runs in the seventh inning with two outs when the Lansing outfield had trouble with two different flyballs in twilight. Dickinson scored all the way from first on ball to left that dropped in for a single for Luis Castillo. Hall doubled on a similar play to allow Castillo to score the tenth run of the night.
The quartet of relievers who concluded the shutout for the Rattlers were Jason Woodward, Bjorn Johnson, Yerlin Rodriguez, and José Meneses. Woodward got the final out of the sixth. Johnson, Woodward, and Meneses each worked a scoreless, hitless inning.
Game four of the series is Friday night at Neuroscience Group Field. Jayden Dubanewicz (2-3, 5.24) is scheduled as the starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Tucker Novotny (2-2, 5.97) is set to start for the Lugnuts. Game time is 6:40pm.
