GRAND CHUTE, WI – Mike Boeve arrived at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Wednesday afternoon just in time to take batting practice at 4:15 in the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers last group of pre-game. The Milwaukee Brewers second-round pick of the 2023 draft wasted no time to introduce himself to his teammates. About 2-1/2 hours later, Boeve let the home fans know he was on the team as he homered in his first at bat of the game against the Dayton Dragons. He ended the night with three RBI to help the Rattlers to a 9-3 victory.
Boeve and Brock Wilken, the first-round pick of the Brewers in the 2023 draft, combined to give the Timber Rattlers (20-18 second half, 46-56 overall) the early lead. Boeve drove a home run over the wall in center for a 417’ homer on a 2-2 pitch from Dayton starting pitcher Chris McElvain. Wilken, the first-round pick of the Brewers, followed three pitches later with a 410’ blast to the Dayton bullpen in left-center for his first homer as a Rattler. Both balls got out in a hurry with matching 105-mph exit velocities.
The Dragons (20-18, 53-51) cut into the lead in the top of the second when Austin Hendrick hit a lead-off homer to right.
Dayton loaded the bases with one out on two walks and a single against Wisconsin starting pitcher Stiven Cruz in the third inning. Hendrick stepped to the plate and Cruz struck him out for the second out. However, Cruz did not escape the inning unscathed as he hit Ruben Ibarra on a 3-0 pitch to force in the tying run.
The tarp went on the field after the end of the third inning with a heavy downpour hitting the area about eight o’clock. The game restarted with Cameron Wagoner on the mound in relief of Cruz to start the top of the fourth inning a little after nine o’clock.
Wagoner pitched a scoreless top of the fourth and the Rattlers offense went to work in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead again. Terence Doston drew a walk and stole second with one out against Dayton reliever Owen Holt. Robert Moore blooped a double to right to score Doston. Later in the inning, Joe Gray Jr singled home a run for a 4-2 lead.
In the fifth, Wisconsin loaded the bases against Holt on a double by Alex Hall, his third hit of the game, and a pair of walks. The Dragons called Brooks Crawford out of the bullpen with two outs, and he proceeded to walk both Boeve and Wilken to force in runs to put the Rattlers up 6-2.
The Dragons kept the pressure on the Timber Rattlers as they had two on with one out in the sixth against Wagoner, but the right-hander escaped. In the seventh, the Dragons again had two runners on with one out. Wagoner got the second out by striking out Hendrick. However, Wagoner would not escape this inning, but he was still very fortunate.
Ruben Ibarra lined the next pitch deep to left field. If Ibarra had hit the ball about a foot to the right or two feet higher, it would have been a three-run home run and Wisconsin’s lead would have been down to one run. Instead, the ball hit solidly off the new ribbon board and came back to the field of play for an RBI double to make it a 6-3 score.
Karlos Morales was called in from the Wisconsin bullpen to get the final out of the seventh, but that was not without drama as he walked the first hitter he faced to load the bases. Morales rebounded to strike out Mat Nelson for the final out and keep the Rattlers in front by three runs.
Wisconsin added some insurance in their half of the seventh as Moore walked with two outs and stole second. Boeve continued his hot start as a Rattler with a single to center to score Moore and a 7-3 lead.
Hall collected his fourth hit of the evening with an RBI double in the eighth inning. Doston capped the scoring for the Rattlers with an RBI double of his own later in the frame for the 9-3 lead.
Justin King, Wisconsin’s fourth pitcher of the game, tossed a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts to finish the game, Wisconsin’s second win in a row.
Wagoner picked up his third win in his last four decisions as he scattered five hits and two walks with five strikeouts while allowing one run over 3-2/3 innings.
The Dragons stranded fourteen runners in the game and went just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Wisconsin was 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday night.
Game three of the series is Thursday evening. Alexander Cornielle (0-2, 5.46) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Dayton has named Hunter Parks (2-5, 3.90) as their starter. Game time is 6:40pm.
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