It couldn’t have been anyone else but Joey Wiemer for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. The Rattlers outfielder was 0-for-5 and had left twelve runners on base in his first five at bats against Beloit Snappers pitchers in the game. Wiemer got one more chance when he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with two runners on base and one out. Wiemer made the most of this opportunity when he hit a three-run, walkoff home run to push Wisconsin past the Snappers 7-5.
The Snappers (49-59) rallied with two outs in the top of the second to score four runs and take the early lead. Ricky Aracena blooped a single to shallow left to drive in the first run. Then, Connor Scott cracked a three-run homer, his ninth of the season.
Wisconsin (52-55) scored a run with two outs in the bottom of the second. Carlos Rodríguez dropped a single just fair down the line in left to score LG Castillo from third base. The Rattlers would load the bases but stranded all three runners with Wiemer flying out to left to end the inning.
The duo of Aracena and Scott combined for another two-out rally in the fourth. Wisconsin starter TJ Shook retired the first two batters he faced in the inning. Then, Aracena tripled to right-center and Scott singled up the middle and the Snappers were up 5-1.
Wisconsin had rallied from three-run deficits to beat the Snappers in the first three games of the series and they had plenty of opportunities.
Beloit starting pitcher George Soriano turned that 5-1 lead over to his bullpen after five innings. Soriano escaped the fifth inning by stranding runners at second and third after getting Wiemer to ground out.
The Rattlers loaded the bases against Justin Evans in the sixth but all three runners were left stranded when the inning ended on another groundout by Wiemer.
The Rattlers loaded the bases on two walks and single to start the bottom of the seventh. They got a run home on a fielder’s choice by Alex Hall. Evans got the second out and turned the game over to Jackson Rose.
Rodríguez greeted Rose with a single to left-center to score two runs and the Rattlers were within one run. Wisconsin reloaded the bases on a walk to Felix Valerio only to see Rose get out of the inning with a strikeout of Wiemer.
In the eighth, Wisconsin threatened again. Zavier Warren singled and Freddy Zamora doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. Rose escaped the inning with a strikeout, a flyout to shallow center, and a strikeout.
The winning rally in the bottom of the ninth started on a double by Rodríguez and a walk to Felix Valerio against Eli Villalobos. The hit by Rodríguez was his fourth of the game, his first four-hit game of the season.
That brought Wiemer back to the plate and he didn’t wait. Wiemer lined the first pitch from Villalobos over the wall in left-center for the three-run, walkoff homer to send nearly 5,000 fans in attendance home very, very happy.
Three Wisconsin relievers combined to pitch four scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Brady Schanuel worked two scoreless frames. Evan Reifert struck out the side in order in the eighth. Cam Robinson pitched a perfect top of the ninth.
The Rattlers bullpen covered 23 innings in the six-game series with the Snappers and allowed three earned runs as the team went 5-1 with four comeback wins, including three walkoff victories over their in-state rivals.
Wiemer has hit 21 homers this season. His blast on Sunday was his eighth with the Timber Rattlers. He had thirteen with the Carolina Mudcats before his promotion to the High-A Central League.
Sunday was also Wiemer’s third walkoff homer of the season. He hit walkoff homers for the Mudcats on August 5 and August 7.
The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday. They return to action on Tuesday against the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Neuroscience Group Field. Game time is 6:35pm.
