The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers let an early lead against the Beloit Snappers get away at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Saturday night. Wisconsin recovered with three runs during a two-out rally in the bottom of the eighth inning to erase a 3-2 deficit on the way to a 5-4 victory over their in-state rivals.
After getting shut out on one hit Friday night at Kane County, the Timber Rattlers (41-44 overall, 10-6 second half) wasted no time getting hits and runs on the board in the first inning on Saturday. Brice Turang started the inning by reaching on an error. Jesús Lujano drove in Turang with a triple. Gabriel García doubled with two outs to knock in Lujano for a 2-0 lead.
Beloit starting pitcher Reid Birlingmair allowed a pair of singles with two outs in the bottom of the second inning. Then, he retired the final fourteen Rattlers he faced.
Justin Jarvis, the Wisconsin starter, pitched around four walks and a hit through five scoreless innings and turned the lead over to the bullpen.
The Snappers (30-53, 3-13) rallied to tie the game against reliever Max Lazar in the sixth inning. Cobie Vance welcomed Lazar to the game with a double. Logan Farrar singled to get Vance home for the first Beloit run of the game. Devin Foyle followed with a triple to right and Farrar scored on the play to tie the game 2-2.
John Jones gave the Snappers the lead with a two out single in the top of the seventh inning. He singled with two outs to score Max Schuemann from second base and Beloit was up 3-2.
Wisconsin got their first base runner since the second inning when Chad McClanahan drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh inning against lefty reliever Josh Reagan, but McClanahan was caught trying to steal second for the final out.
Turang, who singled in the second inning before the hitless streak began, singled with one out in the eighth against Reagan to start the Wisconsin rally. David Fry drew a walk to put two runners on base. Lujano was next and he hit a high bouncer to second and the Snappers could only get the force play on Fry at second base. That left runners on the corners with two outs and the right-handed Connor McVey coming to the plate and that was all for Reagan.
The right-handed Brandon Withers was brought into the game from the Beloit bullpen to face McVey, who was 2-for-3 against Withers this season. McVey didn’t wait long. He blooped a 1-0 pitch to center to get Turang home with the tying run.
García was next and he cracked a 3-2 pitch from Withers to left-center to get both Lujano and McVey home for a 5-3 Wisconsin lead.
The Snappers weren’t done. Schuemann hit a one-out, solo home run in the top of the ninth against Tyler Gillies to cut the Wisconsin advantage to one run. Gillies regrouped and retired the next two batters to close out the game for his first save in affiliated baseball.
Game two of the series is Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Wisconsin has Freisis Adames (2-0, 2.73) as their scheduled starting pitcher. The Snappers will send Bryce Conley (3-4, 3.73) to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05pm.
