Wisconsin Wins Wednesday's Opener

GRAND CHUTE, WIS. - Yeison Coca's two-out, walk-off single propelled the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to a 3-2 win Wednesday against the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Wisconsin (28-23, 59-61) also secured a 1-0 advantage in this three-game series.
The Timber Rattlers manufactured the winning run during the bottom of the ninth. Leugim Castillo received a walk to open the final frame. Antonio Pinero sacrificed Castillo to second base, and Je'Von Ward grounded out to push Castillo to third base. Coca batted next and produced an infield single that brought in the winning run.

Cedar Rapids (29-22, 68-53) faced a late 2-0 deficit before scoring in the eighth and ninth innings. Daniel Ozoria broke up the shutout by scoring on Wander Javier's eighth-inning single. Spencer Steer tripled in the ninth prior to Trevor Casanova's sacrifice fly which briefly tied the contest at 2-2.
The Timber Rattlers ended an early scoreless deadlock during the bottom of the fifth. Ward's two-out RBI single drove in Pablo Abreu. Following a walk for Coca, David Fry singled to plate Pinero for a 2-0 lead.
Despite giving up two runs for a blown save, Max Lazar (6-2) also picked up the victory in the series opener. Nate Hadley (1-1) gave up the deciding run and suffered his first professional loss.
Thursday's contest between Cedar Rapids and Wisconsin is slated for 7:05 p.m., and Kernels right-hander Luis Rijo (4-7, 2.84) will pitch against Timber Rattlers right-hander Luis Contreras (1-1, 2.00). Broadcast coverage with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz will be available on 1450 KMRY AM and 93.1 KMRY FM and also online at www.kmryradio.com and www.kernels.com.
Fans can purchase tickets for all 2019 Cedar Rapids Kernels home games including the playoff opener September 4 against the Quad Cities River Bandits by visiting www.kernels.com, going to the Kernels Ticket Office, or calling (319) 896-7560. The Kernels Ticket Office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. On Sundays when the Kernels have a home game, the Kernels Ticket Office will open at 11:00 a.m.