Duran rocks Loons

GRAND CHUTE, WI - Jose Duran had three hits and three runs in his first start at Time Warner Cable Field to help the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to a 6-4 win over the Great Lakes Loons on Friday night. Duran, the 6th round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2008 draft, collected a triple and two singles in the Rattler victory.

Wisconsin (9-11) got a pair of runs in the third inning. Duran, who just joined the Timber Rattlers from extended spring training on Monday evening, tripled to start the inning and Sean McCraw drove him in with a sacrifice fly. Michael Marseco doubled and Cutter Dykstra singled to put two on with one out. Juan Sanchez drove in Marseco with a single while Dykstra moved to second.

Brett Lawrie was next and he lined a pitch to the gap in right-center. That was when the confusion started. Dykstra went back to second to tag up in case the ball was caught. But, Sanchez was running all out to second on contact. Dykstra reversed course and headed for third as rightfielder Jerry Sands tracked down the ball at the wall.

Both Dykstra and Sanchez rounded third and headed for home as the relay from second baseman Jaime Pedroza came to the plate. Catcher Tony Delmonico tagged out Dykstra who slid to the back side of home plate and Sanchez who slid to the front side of the plate within a split second for an inning ending double play.

Delmonico got the Loons (11-10) to within a run in the top of the fourth on an RBI single.

Wisconsin rallied for a run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI fielder's choice by Duran. But, the Loons made it a one run game again on an RBI single by Austin Gallagher in the top of the fifth.

The score remained 3-2 until the bottom of the sixth inning. Duran delivered a two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded to give Wisconsin a little breathing room. A wild pitch later in the inning allowed a run to score and give the Rattlers a 6-2 lead.

A balk by Rattler reliever Brandon Ritchie allowed a Great Lakes run to score in the top of the seventh.

Rattler closer Jim Henderson allowed a run on a two-out single by Pedroza in the ninth, but he collected his sixth save of the season by getting the final out.

The Timber Rattlers begin a three game series with the Lansing Lugnuts on Saturday night. Trey Watten (1-2, 3.45) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Lansing counters with Henderson Alvarez (1-3, 5.21) game time is 6:35pm.