The Lansing Lugnuts broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the top of the seventh inning and held on to beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 4-3 in Thursday’s game at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The game was the final game of the first half for both teams.
Wisconsin (26-38) took the lead in the bottom of the first. Darrien Miller doubled with two outs to score the first two runs of the game.
Lansing (31-34) stormed back to tie the game in the top of the second. They loaded the bases on two walks and a single with one out. Euribiel Angeles singled on a 2-2 pitch to left to score the tying runs.
Miller singled to start the Wisconsin fourth inning, but he was still there with two outs. Ernesto Martínez Jr made sure Miller wasn’t stranded. Martínez lined a double off the top of the wall by the Lansing bullpen for a double and Miller just beat the throw home for a 3-2 lead.
Stiven Cruz, the Wisconsin starter got the first two outs in the top of the fifth inning but could not get out of the frame with the lead. Daniel Susac hit a triple off the wall in center. Junior Perez singled to left on a 1-2 pitch to score Susac and even the score again.
The Lugnuts took their first lead of the evening in the top of the seventh. Angeles tripled to start the inning. Max Muncy knocked in Angeles with a high chopper to short for the 4-3 advantage.
Robert Moore gave the Timber Rattlers their best chance to rally when he started the bottom of the eighth with a double against Christian Fernandez. However, Fernandez got a liner to second and back-to-back strikeouts to maintain the lead. Fernandez retired Wisconsin in order in the bottom of the ninth for his first save of the season.
Game four of the series is Friday night and it is also the first game of the second half of the season. Tyler Woessner (5-2, 2.52) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Jake Garland (1-3, 7.82) is set to start for the Lugnuts. Game time is 6:40pm CDT.
