(TIMBER RATTLERS) GRAND CHUTE, WI – It took until August 21, 2024 for a Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher to get eleven strikeouts in game last season. Manuel Rodriguez, a 19-year-old in his High-A debut, got there in game one of the 2025 season. The Rattlers starting pitcher struck out eleven over 4-1/3 innings on Friday night in the season opener at Neuroscience Group Field against the Cedar Rapids Kernels. However, the Kernels defeated Wisconsin 4-1 to spoil the party.
Rodriguez opened the game by striking out the side in the first inning to open the season. He would strike out two more batters in the second and pitched around a one-out double in the third with three more strikeouts for eight Ks in the first ten batters faced.
Wisconsin (0-1) looked like they would get to Cedar Rapids starter Charlee Soto in the first inning. Lead-off batter Yophery Rodriguez singled on the first pitch he saw. Blake Burke followed with another single two pitches later. Soto got the first out with a strikeout before walking Matt Wood to load the bases. The threat died down as Soto got Juan Baez to tap in front of the plate on the next pitch for an inning-ending 2-3 double play.
The Kernels (1-0) broke through in the top of the fourth. Kyle DeBarge started the inning with a single and stole second. Rodriguez issued his only walk of the game to the next batter. Then, Billy Amick singled to shallow right and a bobble by Hedbert Perez allowed DeBarge to score.
Rodriguez bounced back to strike out the final two batters of the fourth and the first batter of the fifth to give him eleven strikeouts. In the game, he allowed an unearned run on three hits over 70 pitches.
Cedar Rapids added to their lead in the sixth inning. DeBarge walked and Brandon Winokur followed with an RBI double. In the seventh, Wisconsin’s defense committed errors on two consecutive plays before Gabriel Gonzalez singled to load the bases. Caden Kendle lined the next pitch to the corner in left to drive in two runs for a 4-0 advantage.
The Rattlers only had four baserunners from the second through the eighth innings with three walk and a runner reaching on an error.
Then, the bats woke up in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate on a chilly night at the park. Wood and Baez started the ninth inning with singles. Tayden Hall plated Wood with a two-out single to left to break up the shutout bid before the Kernels got the final out of the game to seal the win.
There were thirty strikeouts in the game. Four Wisconsin pitchers combined for seventeen with three Kernels hurlers totaling thirteen.
Game two of the series is Saturday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. Bishop Letson, the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers, is making his Midwest League debut. Alejandro Hidalgo has been named the starter for the Kernels. Game time is 1:10pm.
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