Beloit's Aselton rattles Wisconsin
Aselton (1-0) took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, but lost it when Matt Tuiasosopo smacked a double just inside first base. Despite not being able to keep the no-no, Aselton kept his composure and stranded Tuiasosopo by getting the next two batters to ground out, escaping the inning with the shutout intact.
Aselton left the game following the eighth, but not before he recorded his first double-digit strikeout game this year, fanning 10 with three walks while allowing just the one hit. Jonathan Martinez struck out two in a scoreless ninth to close out the game.
Aselton's last nine appearances were as a starter and he came into the post-season riding a four-game winning streak. The 6-foot-5 lefty also came close to a no-hitter not too long ago, tossing seven innings of one-hit ball against Quad City on Aug. 16.
"Well this game was obviously a bigger stage and he really attacked the zone quite a bit and had plus-movement on all his pitches," Beloit manager Kevin Boles, describing how his hidden ace performed. The thing that impressed Boles more was not something that happened during the game, but rather something that evolved over the season.
"He's made the biggest turn around as a pitcher in one year that we've ever seen here," Boles gushed. "When he was in the bullpen, he was our mop-up guy that we had pitch when we were down by five or six runs. This kid has really turned his career around and he's in the right direction."
The Snappers grabbed the lead right away in the first, when Deacon Burns scalded a pitch from Mark Lowe to the gap in right center for an RBI double. Beloit was already ahead 3-0 when Jeremy Pickrel sent a slider from Stephen Grasley in the wrong direction, leading off the eighth with a home run. Pickrel and Javier Sanchez each had a pair of hits and an RBI in the game, with Sanchez smacking an RBI double in the eighth.
Lowe (0-1) took the loss for the Timber Rattlers as he allowed three runs on five hits and half a dozen walks over 3 2/3 innings. Shawn Nottingham was flawless in relief for Wisconsin over 2 1/3 innings, striking out three.
Along with being the only Timber Rattler to get a hit, Tuiasosopo also was the only member of his team to reach base twice, drawing a walk in the third inning. Tuiasosopo was then quickly erased in the next at-bat as Brandon Green hit a rocket that found first baseman Johnny Woodard, who caught the ball and tagged first for an unassisted double play.
Most managers want their players to quickly move on from a playoff victory, but on a team where no one is over the age of 23, Boles wants his players to soak up for most of them what is their first playoff experience.
"I want them to think about this experience and learn from it," Boles said. "But they have to be ready to turn the page and be ready to play tomorrow in Appleton."
Game 2 of the series moves to Fox Cities Stadium where Beloit's Kyle Waldrop is set to face Wisconsin's Aaron Jensen at 7:35 p.m. ET on Thursday.