The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers emphatically ended their ten-game losing streak with a 4-0 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels Friday Night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Justin Jarvis allowed one hit and struck out eight over six scoreless innings for his eighth win of the season.
Wisconsin (49-44 overall, 13-15 second half) missed on an opportunity to take the lead in the first inning. Tristan Peters doubled and took third on a wild pitch. Jackson Chourio drew a walk and the Rattlers had runners at the corners with no outs. However, two straight strikeouts and a caught stealing ending the inning.
The Rattlers grabbed their chance to take the lead in the bottom of the third. Terence Doston beat out an infield single with one out and Peters followed with a double off the wall in right to put runners at second and third. Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Cade Povich committed a balk to allow Doston to score and Peters to take third base. Chourio drove in Peters with a sacrifice fly for the 2-0 lead.
Chourio started the bottom of the sixth inning with a single to snap a streak of six straight strikeouts by Povich. Joe Gray Jr was next, and he cracked a triple off the wall in center to score Chourio for a 3-0 lead.
That was an insurance run for Jarvis, who walked two over his six scoreless innings. The only hit he allowed was a two-out single in the second inning. Jarvis is now the Midwest League leader in strikeouts with 120 on the season.
Taylor Floyd worked around two walks and a hit batsman with five strikeouts over two innings to protect the lead.
Peters drew a lead-off walk in the bottom of the eighth. Wes Clarke drove in Peters with a two-out double and the Rattlers were up 4-0.
The Kernels (58-36, 15-13) picked up their second hit of the game on an infield single with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. Robbie Baker, who had retired the first two batters of the ninth, closed out the game with a strikeout, the fifteenth by Wisconsin pitchers in the game
Game five of the series is Saturday night. Antoine Kelly (2-4, 3.41) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Travis Adams has been named the starting pitcher for the Kernels and will be making his Midwest League debut. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm.
