Rattlers fall in game two on a walkoff grand slam
DAVENPORT, IA - Brett Phillips hit a walkoff grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Quad Cities River Bandits a 6-4 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in game two of Sunday's doubleheader at Modern Woodmen Park. The River Bandits swept the twinbill with a 5-0 win in game one and the walkoff win in game two. Wisconsin starting pitcher Victor Diaz was within two outs of a complete game victory, but the bullpen could not hold on after he came out of the game with two on and one out.
Quad Cities (45-41 overall, 10-7 second half) appeared headed for a big inning in the bottom of the first against Diaz. James Ramsay reached on an error to start the frame. Diaz walked the next two batters to load the bases with no outs. Diaz got the first out on a foul pop. Ronnie Mitchell hit a sharp single to right to drive in Ramsay for a 1-0 lead. Diaz slammed the door on the Bandits in the first with a strikeout and a force play.
Wisconsin (45-41, 9-8) got on the board in the top of the fourth without a hit. Angel Ortega was hit by a pitch with one out to reach first. Johnny Davis drew a walk. Ortega took third on a pitch in the dirt with Omar Garcia at the plate. Garcia's grounder to short was enough to get Ortega home with the tying run.
Michael Ratterree put the Rattlers in front with a long, leadoff home run in the top of the fourth. The homer, Ratterree's fourteenth of the season, was the first hit of the game for the Rattlers.
Dustin DeMuth and Rafael Neda kept the hits coming with back-to-back singles. Steve Halcomb loaded the bases with a one out single to bring Ortega to the plate. Ortega lined a single to left to drive in DeMuth for a 3-1 lead.
The Rattlers tacked on a run in the top of the fifth against reliever Michael Feliz. DeMuth drew a walk with two outs. Neda stepped in and worked the count to 3-2. Neda drilled a double to left-center and DeMuth, who was running on the pitch, scored easily for a 4-1 lead.
Quad Cities shaved a run off the Wisconsin lead in the bottom of the fifth. James Ramsay tripled to start the inning. A grounder to short by Marc Wik drove in Ramsay to make the score 4-2.
Diaz worked a 1-2-3 sixth and went back out for the bottom of the seventh inning, but allowed a leadoff single to Dayne Parker. Diaz got the first out on a flyball to center. Diaz looked like he would get the second out on a flyball to center off the bat of Ramsay, but the ball was lost in the lights and dropped in for a single. That was the end of the line for Diaz, who was near 100 pitches.
Tyler Spurlin, who picked up the win for the Rattlers in Friday's comeback victory, took over and got ahead of Wik 1-2. But, Wik chopped a single through the left side of the infield to load the bases.
Phillips drove the first pitch of his at bat against Spurlin over the wall in right-center for the walkoff slam and the doubleheader sweep.
Sunday marks the first time the Timber Rattlers have been swept in a doubleheader this season. They had split four and swept three from their opponents prior to Sunday.
The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday. They resume play on Tuesday at Cedar Rapids with the first game of a three-game series against the Kernels. Tristan Archer (3-3, 3.44) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Wisconsin. Lewis Thorpe (1-1, 5.16) is set to start for the Kernels. Game time is 6:35pm. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15pm.
HOME RUNS:
WIS:
Michael Ratterree (14th, 0 on in 4th inning off Jandel Gustave, 0 out)
QC:
Brett Phillips (6th, GRAND SLAM in 7th inning off Tyler Spurlin, 1 out)
WP: Michael Feliz (4-3)
LP: Tyler Spurlin (3-1)
TIME: 2:19
ATTN: 3,834