Bucci stays hot

GRAND CHUTE, WI - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Nick Bucci scattered seven hits over seven innings and was backed up by a 14-hit attack in an 11-2 win over the Burlington Bees on a warm Sunday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field.  Khris Davis led the way for the offense with four hits and two RBI.  Bucci has won three consecutive starts.

But it wasn't an easy start.  Burlington (15-27) scored first.  The Bees got a one-out RBI double from Wil Myers in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.  That run broke Bucci's scoreless streak at 15-1/3 innings.

Wisconsin (15-28) answered with two runs in the bottom of the first inning.  Davis singled in a run to tie the game.  Cameron Garfield got a run home from third with a grounder to second to put the Rattlers up 2-1.

The Bees tied the game in the top of the second inning on a two-out RBI double by Hilton Richardson.  That was all Bucci would allow.  He pitched a total of seven innings and gave up two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts.

The Rattlers went back in front with three runs in the bottom of the second inning.  Cutter Dykstra singled and went to second on a wild pitch. Erik Miller drove in Dykstra with a single.  D'Vontrey Richardson singled later in the inning to drive in Miller.  Richardson scored from first on a double by Scooter Gennett and an error.

Gennett went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and extended his hitting streak to 12 games, the longest current hitting streak in the Midwest League.

Bucci went into cruise control between the third and sixth innings as the Rattlers added to their lead with two runs in the fifth on a two-run single by Dykstra.  In the sixth, Davis singled in a run for the Rattlers to go up 8-2.

In the seventh, Bucci walked the leadoff hitter and allowed a single to put two Burlington runners on with no outs.  The Rattlers starter retired the next three batters to keep the Bees from scoring.

Chris Dennis tripled in two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and scored on a wild pitch for the final three runs of the game.

Del Howell came out of the Rattlers bullpen and struck out four over two scoreless innings to close out the Bees.

Wisconsin wraps up their homestand on Monday with an afternoon game against the Bees.  Damon Krestalude (1-3, 3.86) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers.  Burlington will send Tyler Sample (1-2, 4.89) to the hill.

If you can't make it to the game, you may tune in for all the action on AM1280, WNAM.  The broadcast starts with the Miller Lite Pregame show at 11:45am.  Game time is 12:05pm.  

WP: Nick Bucci (3-1)
LP: Keaton Hyenga (1-1)

TIME: 2:32
ATTN: 3,965

Click here for a complete boxscore of Sunday's game