The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were rolling through the first three games against the Dayton Dragons at Day Air Ballpark as they racked up 28 runs on 48 hits to string together a three-game winning streak. That streak came to an end as four Dayton pitchers held the Timber Rattlers to four hits in a 6-2 victory over Wisconsin.
Dayton (10-12 second half, 43-45 overall) scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning. Jay Allen II singled to start the inning and wound up on third after a misplay by Hendry Mendez. Edwin Arroyo followed with a sacrifice fly and the Dragons were up 1-0.
Three hits in the bottom of the second led to two more runs for the Dragons. Ruben Ibarra and Tyler Callihan singled to start the frame. Hayden Jones knocked in Ibarra and sent Callihan to third with a one-out single. Trey Faltine grounded into a force play at second to score Callihan for a 3-0 lead.
Ernesto Martínez Jr got the Timber Rattlers (12-10, 38-48) on the board with a monstrous, two-run home run to right in the top of the third inning. Martínez crushed a 2-2 pitch from Owen Holt. The ball hit on the concourse by a concession stand and bounced over the fence surrounding the stadium onto the street and eventually into a cluster of pedestrians. The homer was the tenth of the season for Martínez.
The Dragons were not impressed as they scored a single runs in their half of the third and fourth innings. Austin Hendrick launched his own tape-measure home run to right in the bottom of the third. Allen blooped a single to center with two outs to score a run to make it 5-2 in favor of Dayton.
Tyler Woessner, the Wisconsin starting pitcher, struck out eight to match his single-game high as a professional, but walked three and allowed five runs – four earned – on six hits over four innings.
Reliver Miguel Guerrero worked three scoreless innings in relief of Woessner to hold the deficit at three runs. However, Wisconsin didn’t have another hit after the Martínez homer until Joe Gray Jr singled with two outs in the eighth.
Jones added an insurance run for the Dragons with a two-out home run in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Rattlers went down in order in the top of the ninth inning to see their three-game winning streak come to an end.
Game five of the series is set for Saturday night at Day Air Ballpark. Brandon Woodruff is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers as he makes a rehabilitation appearance against the Dragons. Dayton has named Chase Petty (0-1, 1.93) as their starter. Game time is 6:10pm CDT.
