CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers started their final regular season series with a much needed win. Felix Valerio, who entered the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, erased a 1-0 deficit with his third home run of the season to lift the Rattlers to a 2-1 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Rise 2 Greatness Field. The win ended Wisconsin’s five-game losing streak.
The starting pitchers for both teams matched zeroes for five innings. Stiven Cruz pitched around three hits and two walks through his five innings for the Rattlers. Ty Langenberg walked two, struck out seven, and allowed one hit – a two-out single in the fifth – over his five frames.
The Kernels (64-61 overall, 27-34 second half) broke through against Cruz in the sixth inning. Cruz got the first two outs before giving up a double to Rubel Cespedes. Nate Baez followed with a sharp single to left that was bobbled by Hedbert Pérez to allow Cespedes to score the first run of the game.
Wisconsin (75-51, 33-27) had two runners on with two outs against reliever Samuel Perez in the sixth and got a lead-off double from Tayden Hall in the seventh but were still scoreless after Perez escaped the seventh with Hall still at second.
In the eighth, Areinamo singled with one out against Nolan Santos. There were two key plays in the inning with Valerio at the plate. The first happened when Santos appeared to have picked Areinamo off first base. However, first baseman Rixon Wingrove was ruled to have blocked Areinamo’s path back to first base. This allowed Areinamo to take second base. Moments later, Valerio crushed a 2-1 pitch to left for his third home run of the season to give the Rattlers a 2-1 lead.
The Rattlers turned to Aaron Rund for the bottom of the ninth inning. Wingrove started the inning with a line drive off the wall in left field. Pérez went into the corner and fired a strike to Valerio covering second base. Valerio dropped the tag on Wingrove for the first out. Rund struck out the next two batters for his eighth save of the season.
Game two of the series is Wednesday night. Alexander Cornielle (6-5, 4.30) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. The Kernels have named John Klein (8-3, 4.92) as their starter. Game time is 6:35pm CDT.
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