(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) SOUTH BEND, IN – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers dropped a 6-3 decision to the South Bend Cubs on Wednesday afternoon at Four Winds Field. Jose Escobar had four hits, three RBI, and two runs scored to lead the Cubs over Wisconsin.
The Timber Rattlers (48-39 overall, 14-11 second half) took the lead in the top of the third inning. Braylon Payne doubled off the top of the wall in left top drive in the first run of the game. Daniel Dickinson knocked in Payne with a two-out single for a 2-0 lead.
South Bend (53-35, 14-12) came right back to tie the game in the bottom of the third. Wisconsin starting pitcher Wande Torres, who escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first inning without allowing a run, walked the first two batters of the third with an error loading the bases with no outs. Kade Snell drove in the first Cubs run with a single. Michael Halquist knocked in the tying run with a sacrifice fly. Torres escaped this inning with a 4-6-3 double play to keep the game tied 2-2.
The Cubs kept the pressure on reliever Tanner Perry in the bottom of the fourth. Justin Stransky singled and Kane Kepley walked to start the inning. Perry got the first out on a flyball to center that moved Stransky to third base. Then, Kepley stole second, his 45th stolen base of the season. Escobar followed with a single to right to score both runners for a 4-2 lead.
Luis Castillo pulled the Timber Rattlers to within a run on a two-out, RBI double in the top of the sixth. Daniel Guilarte beat out an infield single to keep the inning alive. However, Castillo got caught rounding third base too far to be tagged out after a brief rundown.
Jason Woodward, the fourth Wisconsin pitcher of the day, retired the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the eighth. He walked Josiah Hartshorn to bring Escobar back to the plate. Escobar doubled off the wall in right to score Hartshorn with an insurance run.
Yerlin Rodriguez replaced Woodward on the mound and gave up an RBI single to Angel Cepeda to put the Rattlers down 6-3.
Grayson Moore took over for the Cubs in the top of the ninth and closed out the game with a 1-2-3 frame for his fourth save of the season.
Castillo leads the Timber Rattlers in RBI with 53. He also leads current Rattlers in doubles with fifteen. Only Josiah Ragsdale, who had eighteen doubles before he was promoted to Double-A Biloxi on June 30, has more doubles as a Timber Rattler this season.
Timber Rattlers pitchers combined to walk eight in the game with four of those free passes crossing the plate. Wisconsin base runners also had a rough day with two players picked off first base and two thrown out at the plate. The loss was the fifth in a row for Wisconsin.
Game three of the series is scheduled for Thursday night at Four Winds Field. Daniel Corniel (0-2, 4.50) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Mason McGwire (1-1, 3.46) is set to start for South Bend. Game time is 6:05pm CDT.
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