The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers trailed 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning on Wednesday afternoon against the Fort Wayne TinCaps and it appeared they would miss their opportunity to extend their West Division lead. Then, Eduarqui Fernández shook off his recent struggles with a two-run homer to tie the game. Ram?n Rodríguez won the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the tenth to send the Rattlers to their second straight 4-3, walkoff win over the TinCaps and a 1-1/2 game lead in the division in the team’s quest for its first playoff spot since 2016.
Anthony Vilar gave Fort Wayne (21-26) the lead with an RBI double in the top of the second inning.
The TinCaps threatened to add to their lead in the fourth inning. Wisconsin starting pitcher Tate Kuehner gave up two singles and issued a walk with one out. He got out of the jam with an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to keep the deficit at one run.
Fort Wayne put the first two batters on in the top of the fifth inning and that spelled the end of the line for Kuehner. Aaron Rund was called in from the bullpen to keep the game close.
Homer Bush Jr was the first batter to face Rund and he just beat out a weak grounder past the mound for an infield single to tie the game. Jay Beshears followed with a weak, spinning grounder back to the mound that glanced off Rund’s glove. The Rattlers pitcher had to go to first for the out and a run scored to make it 2-0. Rund struck out the next two batters to keep the deficit at two runs.
Wisconsin (30-17) scored a run without a hit in the bottom of the fifth inning. Dylan O’Rae was hit by a pitch and Luke Adams walked with one out. That knocked Fort Wayne starting pitcher Jagger Haynes out of the game
O’Rae and Adams pulled a double steal to get into scoring position. Then, Ram?n Rodríguez drove in O’Rae with a sacrifice fly.
The TinCaps added an insurance run in the top of the seventh against reliever Brian Fitzpatrick. Bush, who was 3-for-5 on the afternoon, singled and Beshears walked. Devin Ortiz lined a single to left and Bush scored for a 3-1 lead.
The Rattlers were still down 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning when Jesús Chirinos singled to left to start the frame. He was replaced by pinch-runner Terance Doston, who didn’t have to wait long to jog around the bases. Fernández, who had broken an 0-for-20 slide with a single in the second inning on Wednesday, crushed the first pitch of his at bat against Bradgley Rodriguez past the scoreboard beyond the wall in left-center for a game-tying homer.
In the top of the tenth, Chase Costello stranded two TinCaps runners as he struck out three to keep the game tied. Fort Wayne left fifteen runners on base in the game as they went 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position. Five Wisconsin pitchers combined for fifteen strikeouts in the game.
In the bottom of the tenth, Jadher Areinamo started the inning at second. Adams moved him to third by beating out a one-out, infield single. Rodríguez put the game away with a sharp single to right on an 0-1 pitch to score Areinamo.
The Timber Rattlers have won three straight games starting with a 9-8, eleven inning win at South Bend on Sunday and a 4-3, walkoff win on Tuesday against the TinCaps.
In the first-half West Division playoff race, the Timber Rattlers once again received help from the Lake County Captains. Lake County beat the Cedar Rapids Kernels 6-4 in Iowa on Wednesday afternoon. The Rattlers now lead second place Cedar Rapids by 1-1/2 games. Both Wisconsin and Cedar Rapids have nineteen games remaining in the first half.
Game three at Neuroscience Group Field is set for Thursday night. Will Rudy (1-4, 6.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Miguel Cienfuegos (3-4, 4.15) is the starter for the TinCaps. Game time is 6:40pm.
