Williams, Rattlers reach championship

Mark Williams took the mound Sunday for Class A Wisconsin in what was going to be the first playoff start of his professional career. Since the pitching staff had allowed just one run in its last three games, the Timber Rattlers also had a chance to wrap up their best-of-3 Midwest League Western Division semifinals.

But the 23-year-old right-hander didn't think there was any pressure. Well, maybe a little.

"The only pressure I really felt was about following up [Chad Thompson, Chad Pierce and David Goforth]," Williams said. "I was thinking, 'Man, I've got to step it up.'"

He did just that.

Williams gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits in eight innings Sunday as Wisconsin defeated Clinton, 4-2, to advance to the Midwest League Championship Series for the first time since 2005 with a semifinal sweep.

"This is exciting for all of us," the Timber Rattlers hurler said. "Anybody who knows this team knows how much we've wanted to get to this point. There was a lot of jumping, hugs, handshakes after the game. It feels good, but we know tomorrow we have to focus on winning another series."

Although it had a happy ending, Williams' outing didn't have a stellar beginning.

In the first, he allowed a leadoff double to Jamal Austin, and on the very next pitch, Daniel Paolini laid down a bunt that catcher Rafael Neda mishandled, allowing Austin to score. Paolini crossed the plate on Ramon Moria's RBI double to give the LumberKings a 2-0 lead before the Timber Rattlers even had a chance to bat.

"I knew I was leaving a lot of fastballs up," Williams said. "Plus we had a couple of things that didn't really go our way. So I kind of sat there in the dugout, tried to collect myself and tried to kind of just relax. It was my first start in the postseason, so I wanted to just enjoy it. I walked up the tunnel after that, and things seemed to work out well."

The right-handed Brewers prospect faced the minimum 15 batters to take him to the seventh after the rough first frame.

Dillon Hazlett's fifth-inning single was the only misstep, but even that was erased by a double play by Patrick Brady. He also escaped lead-off singles in the seventh and eighth. The eight-inning outing, during which Williams tossed 105 pitches (71 for strikes), was his longest of the season, besting a pair of seven-inning starts in August.

Sunday provided the second time in 2012 that the Cincinnati native, who had only pitched in relief in Game 1 of the Midwest League first round, made headlines for a clutch performance. Combining with five innings from Thompson, he threw four frames of a no-hitter against the same Clinton team on May 4.

But to Williams, Sunday's win meant a little bit more.

"The no-hitter was a great accomplishment," he said. "Chad and I were actually talking about it the other day. But to pitch like this tonight, that means a lot. It holds a little more meaning for me because a win in the playoffs is something everyone can share. A no-hitter is a little bit more of a personal thing."

Just to get to the Midwest League playoffs has been a big achievement for the 23-year-old. He went undrafted out of Marietta (Ohio) College in 2011 and signed with the Brewers only after pitching for the Washington Wild Things in the independent Frontier League that same year. In his first full professional season, he was 7-10 with a 3.88 ERA in 27 appearances, 14 starts.

Now Williams and the rest of the Timber Rattlers will be fighting for the first Midwest League championship in franchise history since the Appleton Foxes captured the 1984 title. That's a fact not lost on the pitcher.

"It's been an awesome road to get here," he said. "I've been surrounded by some great pitching coaches, played with some great guys. It was heartbreaking not to get drafted, but the day I signed, I knew I was going to work hard every day.

"Right now, it's working. It's been a blast. But whether it's a hard road, easy road, whether I go up or down, I know I'll continue to enjoy the whole thing."

Nick Ramirez homered, doubled and drove in two runs to power the Wisconsin offense.

In other Midwest League playoff action:
Lake County 7, Fort Wayne 4

The Captains forced a Game 3 with a win at home in the Eastern Division championship. Jordan Smith tripled and drove in two runs as part of a 2-for-4 performance at the dish. Reliever Louis Head threw three one-hit innings and struck out two to earn the win. Enosil Tejeda tossed a scoreless ninth to take his third save of the playoffs.

TinCaps first baseman Lee Orr homered and scored twice while catcher Austin Hedges contributed a double, a single, an RBI and a run scored. Box score