Rattlers Hang on to Sweep TinCaps
GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers completed a three-game sweep of the Fort Wayne TinCaps with an 8-7 victory Friday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Lucas Erceg and Troy Stokes, Jr. each had three hits for the Wisconsin offense that built an 8-4 lead heading into the ninth inning.
Stokes tripled to start the Wisconsin first inning, but he was still at third with two outs. Then, Jake Gatewood cracked a double to center to drive in Stokes for a 1-0 lead. Erceg followed with an RBI double to knock in Gatewood and the Rattlers were up 2-0.
Marcus Green, Jr. put the TinCaps (45-53 overall, 9-19 second half) on the scoreboard with a home run off the scoreboard above the wall in left-center to lead off the second inning. Later in the inning, a wild pitch by Rattlers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes allowed the tying run to score.
Fort Wayne took the lead against reliever Zack Brown in the top of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by Peter Van Gansen.
Wisconsin (49-49, 15-13) stormed back in the bottom of the fifth with five runs to take a 7-3 lead. Stokes started the rally with a one-out double. Mitch Ghelfi tied the game with a single to left-center to score Stokes. The hit by Ghelfi moved his current hitting streak to thirteen games. Isan Diaz drew a walk to put two runners on base. Gatewood was next and his flyball to right was dropped to allow Ghelfi to score the go-ahead run.
That brought Erceg, who was picked by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 46th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Entry Draft, back to the plate and he tripled to right to send both Diaz and Gatewood home. Erceg went 3-for-4 with three RBI in the game. He is 7-for-14 in three games with the Timber Rattlers. He would score moments later on a sacrifice fly by David Denson.
Brown, the 5th round pick of the Brewers out of the University of Kentucky in the 2016 draft, worked four innings, allowed one run, and struck out four over four innings of relief to put himself in position for his first professional win.
The TinCaps made it interesting in the eighth as Green singled in a run to make it 7-4. Fort Wayne loaded the bases with one out, but Scott Grist got the second out with a strikeout. Then, closer Nate Griep entered the game from the Wisconsin bullpen and got a strikeout to end the Fort Wayne threat in the eighth.
Carlos Belonis drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the eighth and Stokes drove him home with a double for an insurance run to put Wisconsin up 8-4.
Fort Wayne threw a scare into the Rattlers in the top of the ninth. A walk, a double, an error, and a sacrifice fly by the first four batters of the inning brought the TinCaps to within 8-6. Griep got the second out, but allowed an RBI single to Green to let the TinCaps to within a run and bring Brad Zunica to the plate as a pinch hitter.
Zunica entered the game tied for the Midwest League lead in home runs with 13. He would ground out to first to end the game.
Griep earned his league leading 15th save of the season.
The Timber Rattlers will welcome the Lake County Captains to start a three-game series on Saturday night. The will also welcome a Brewers outfielder to the ballpark. It was announced after Friday's game that Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Domingo Santana will begin a three-game rehabilitation assignment with the Timber Rattlers on Saturday night. Trey Supak (0-0, 5.14) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Jared Robinson (2-2, 5.02) is set to start for the Captains. Game time is 6:35pm.
It's the most wonderful time of the year as the Timber Rattlers celebrate Christmas in July on Saturday. Keep your eyes open for Santa and other special Yuletide surprises. The first 1,000 fans to attend this game will receive a tree sapling for their yard from The Boldt Company. After the game, enjoy a holiday-themed fireworks display courtesy of Festival Foods. Children 14 and under may run the bases courtesy of Tundraland after the fireworks.
If you can't make it out to the ballpark, the radio broadcast is on 1280 AM, WNAM starting with the pregame show at 6:15pm. The game is also available on the internet through IHeartRadio, TuneIn, and MiLB.TV.