GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers closed out May with a 5-2 victory over the Peoria Chiefs at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Wisconsin rallied from an early 2-0 deficit and won their second straight game to open the series.
The Chiefs (21-26) took the lead with a pair of solo homers off Wisconsin starting pitcher Edwin Jimenez. Osvaldo Tovalin put the Chiefs in front with a two-out homer in the first. Darlin Moquete hit his solo homer with one out in the third inning.
Those were the only runs allowed by Jimenez, who worked six innings and struck out four without walking a batter.
The Timber Rattlers (16-30) tied the game in the bottom of the third inning. Terence Doston walked with one out and Eric Brown Jr singled to put runners on the corners. Robert Moore followed with a single that scored Doston and sent Brown to third base.
Matt Wood was next, and he sent a grounder to second for a tailor-made double play. However, the throw to get Moore at second base was wild. This allowed Brown to score the tying run.
Wisconsin took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Doston and Brown started this rally with back-to-back singles. Moore walked to load the bases. Wood sent a grounder heading for right field, but second baseman Francisco Hernandez made a diving stop. Wood was out at first, but he got the go-ahead run to cross the plate. Later in the inning, Eduardo García was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in another run for a 4-2 lead.
García scored an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning. He doubled, his second double of the game, to open frame and moved to third on a grounder. Alex Hall blooped in a single to right to score García.
Max Lazar, who took over for Jimenez to start the seventh inning, tossed a perfect ninth inning to close out the game and earn his first save of the season.
Brown had three hits to close out the month. In April, Brown hit .137 with an OPS of .424 over fourteen games. In May, Brown hit .344 with an OPS of .906 in 23 games. He also scored nineteen runs and was 13-for-14 in stolen bases during May.
Game three of the series is Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Cameron Wagoner (1-7, 9.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers. Peoria plans to put Alex Cornwell (4-2, 3.86) on the mound as their starter. Game time is 6:40pm.
Comments