(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) SOUTH BEND, IN – Enough was enough for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Down to their final seven outs and trailing 3-1 on Saturday night at Four Winds Field against the South Bend Cubs, Wisconsin rallied for five two-out runs over the final three innings to defeat the Cubs 6-4.
The Timber Rattlers (49-41 overall, 15-13 second half) had four hits and a walk in the top of the first inning but managed only one run on a two-out, RBI single by Luis Castillo.
South Bend (55-36, 16-13) went in front in the bottom of the second inning on a two-out, two-run single by Michael Carico.
The Cubs took advantage of a bout of wildness from Wisconsin starting pitcher Josh Knoth in the bottom of the fourth. Knoth walked four straight batters with one out, including Carico to force in the run to put the Cubs up 3-1.
Wisconsin had the first two batters reach in the seventh inning against Cubs reliever Eli Jerzembeck on a single by Daniel Guilarte and a walk to Tyler Rodriguez. Luiyin Alastre bunted out in front of the plate to move the runners into scoring position. However, Guilarte saw no one covering the plate as catcher Logan Poteet ranged almost all the way out to the mound to field the ball. Guilarte raced for the plate a Poteet hustled back to take the return throw from Carico and was able to get the tag on Guilarte for the second out. That left Rodriguez at third base.
Blayberg Diaz singled to drive in Rodriguez, and the Rattlers were within one run. Luis Peña kept the inning alive with a single. Then Jerzembeck walked Braylon Payne to load the bases. Daniel Dickinson drew another walk from Jerzembeck to force in Diaz home with the tying run.
Kane Kepley started the bottom of the seventh for the Cubs by drawing a walk against Wisconsin reliever Bjorn Johnson. A wild pitch and a grounder to third got Kepley to third with one out. Johnson struck out the next batter before throwing a wild pitch with two outs to allow Kepley to score the go-ahead run.
The Rattlers, desperate to break a seven-game losing streak, rallied once again in the eighth. Luis Castillo tripled to right to open the inning. He scored the tying run on a wild pitch by Ethan Bell.
Guilarte restarted the rally with a single and a steal of second. He was still at second with two outs. Diaz came through with another big hit, a double just over the glove of a leaping Kepley in center field, to drive in Guilarte for a 5-4 lead.
In the ninth, Castillo doubled to right with two outs to score Dickinson from third for an insurance run.
Garrett Hodges, who had pitched a perfect eighth inning, did not need the insurance run as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his second save of the season.
Castillo and Diaz led the way for the Wisconsin offense. Castillo had three hits and Diaz had two as they both knocked in two runs. Chandler Welch kept the Rattlers within striking distance with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen over the fifth and sixth frames.
Guilarte reached base in seven straight plate appearances – his final three on Friday and his first four on Saturday – before the Cubs got him to ground out to end the top of the ninth.
The series finale is Sunday afternoon at Four Winds Field. Ethan Dorchies (4-7, 5.31) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Pierce Coppola (1-0, 9.00) has been announced as the starting pitcher for the Cubs. Game time is 1:05pm CDT.
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