The Beloit Snappers beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 4-1 on Monday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Snappers broke a scoreless tie with an unearned run in the top of the sixth and added three more runs in the seventh as the Rattlers missed a lot of opportunities in the contest.
Wisconsin (29-34) had the better scoring opportunities early in the game, but Snappers starter Aiden McIntyre kept the Rattlers scoreless. LG Castillo singled and Brice Turang walked with two outs in the third, but both were stranded. David Fry started the fourth inning with a double and was at third base with one out, but he was still at third when the inning ended. In the fifth, Castillo reached on an error and Turang walked with two outs. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, but McIntyre escaped the inning once again without allowing a run.
McIntyre struck out six over five scoreless innings.
Beloit (25-37) scored the unearned run in the top of the sixth inning. Cobie Vance reached on an error, took second on a sacrifice bunt, and went to third on a single by Ryan Gridley. Vance scored on a two-out passed ball to give the Snappers a 1-0 lead..
Wisconsin starting pitcher Scott Sunitsch went back out for the top of the seventh inning and got the first out before giving up a single to JJ Schwarz. The left-hander as removed from the game after that hit, which came on the 90thpitch of the game for Sunitsch.
Reliever Peter Strzelecki took over from the Wisconsin bullpen and walked the first batter he faced. Then, Devin Foyle ripped a double to right to score Schwarz. Later in the inning, Joseph Pena blooped a two-out single to left to drive in two more runs and the Snappers were up 4-0.
Sunitsch allowed two runs – one earned – on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts over his 6-1/3 innings pitched, but was on the hook for the loss.
Turang and Jesús Lujano reached on a walk and a single to start the bottom of the eighth against reliever Michael Danielak, but both were left stranded.
The Rattlers got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning. Danielak got the first out of the inning, but gave up three straight singles to Je’Von Ward, Kekai Rios, and Castillo.
Castillo’s single scored Ward and moved Rios around to third base and brought the tying run to the plate.
Beloit called on Eric Mariñez, their All-Star closer, to get the final two outs and he retired Turang and Lujano to finish the game for his ninth save of the season.
The Rattlers stranded ten runners and were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the game. The loss was the third straight for Wisconsin.
The Timber Rattlers begin a six-game road trip on Monday with a game against the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Perfect Game Field. Logan Gillaspie (1-2, 4.02) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Cedar Rapids has named Austin Schulfer (4-3, 4.02) as their starter. Game time is 6:35pm.
