(TIMBERRATTLERS) DAVENPORT, IA – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers defeated the Quad Cities River Bandits 9-4 in ten innings on Thursday night at Modern Woodmen Park. A familiar face in Jadher Areinamo made a huge defensive play and Kay-Lan Nicasia, the newest member of the Rattlers, hit a pair of homers, including a game-sealing grand slam in the tenth inning.
Nicasia gave Wisconsin (3-3) the lead with a lead-off home run in the top of the third inning. He went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his Rattlers debut on Wednesday night, but he went with this 1-1 pitch from Bandits starter Frank Mozzicato out to right-center for the homer.
Quad Cities (4-2) used the longball to go in front in the bottom of the fourth. Trevor Werner hit a two-run homer to right for a 2-1 lead.
The Rattlers scraped for a run in the top of the fifth to even the score. Tayden Hall started the inning with a single and Luis Castillo walked with one out. Juan Baez lined a single to left with two outs to drive in Hall with the tying run.
The Bandits went back in front with another homer. Bryan Gonzalez, who had singled just before Werner’s homer in the fourth, hit a lead-off homer to right and Quad Cities had a 3-2 lead.
Manuel Rodriguez, the Wisconsin starting pitcher, would pitch 5-2/3 innings in the game. He allowed six hits, including the two homers, walked two and struck out four. Bayden Root relieved Rodriguez with a runner on and two outs in the sixth and got a strikeout to end the inning. Root would also strike out the side in the seventh to keep Wisconsin within a run.
Areinamo saved the game late twice for the Timber Rattlers. The first time was with his bat. Areinamo led off the Wisconsin eighth inning with a triple off the wall in left. Blake Burke followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game 3-3.
In the bottom of the ninth, Quad Cities had a runner at second with two outs. Omar Hernandez hit soft line drive that appeared headed for a game-winning single in shallow right-center. Areinamo, who was playing second, timed his leap perfectly and snagged the ball in the webbing of his glove for the final out of the frame to send the game to extra innings.
That defensive play gave a left to the Wisconsin offense. Baez started the inning with a single to left to score Yhoswar Garcia from second base for a 4-3 lead. Nate Ackenhausen got the first out but walked Burke on four pitches. Eduardo Garcia was next, and he ripped a double down the third base line. Baez scored, but pinch runner Daniel Guilarte was out at the plate for the second out.
Ackenhausen couldn’t find the strike zone to the next two batters as he hit Matt Wood with his next offering and walked Hall on four pitches to load the bases.
Nicasia unloaded the bases with one swing at the first pitch of his at bat for a long, grand slam to left-center for a 9-3 advantage.
Aidan Maldonado took over for the bottom of the tenth. He gave up an RBI double to Carson Roccaforte to start the inning but retired the next three Bandits to close out the game.
Yerlin Rodriguez, the beneficiary of Areinamo’s web gem, picked up the win with two scoreless innings. He struck out four.
Game four of the series is Friday night at Modern Woodmen Park. Bishop Letson (0-0, 5.40) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Drew Beam (0-0, 13.50) is set to start for the Bandits. Game time is 6:30pm.
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