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MLB

Rattlers inch closer to a clinch with 13-2 win at Beloit

Pena drives in four, Ratterree, Brennan, & Neda homer
By Chris Mehring
August 31, 2014

BELOIT, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers aren't in the playoffs yet, but their 13-2 win over the Beloit Snappers Sunday afternoon at Pohlman Field moved them in the right direction. Tristan Archer hurled six scoreless innings as the Timber Rattlers offense clubbed fourteen hits in the victory.

The Wisconsin hitters were silent in their first 3-2/3 innings on Sunday. Beloit starting pitcher Hunter Adkins retired the first eleven batters he faced. Clint Coulter broke that streak with a two-out single to center in the fourth. David Denson was next and he hit a high fly ball to center that looked like a routine play for the final out. But, BJ Boyd lost the ball in the Sun at the last moment and the ball dropped in behind him. Coulter hustled all the way around from first to score on the play, which was ruled an error on Boyd, for a 1-0 lead.

The Timber Rattlers (72-66 overall, 36-33 second half) started to pour in on offensively in the fifth inning. Taylor Brennan and Rafael Neda drew walks to start the inning. Angel Ortega sacrificed them into scoring position. Jose Pena followed with a line drive double to the gap in left-center to drive in both runners for a 3-0 advantage. Chris McFarland padded the lead with a two-out RBI single and the Rattlers were up 4-0.

In the sixth, Denson singled and Michael Ratterree doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. Brennan rifled a single through the center of the diamond to drive in both runners. Neda would reach on an error against Adkins and that was all for the Beloit starting pitcher.

Snappers reliever Lee Soto got the first out, but Pena came through with a double to almost the exact spot of his hit in the fifth inning. This two-run double gave Pena four runs batted in for the game and the Rattlers an 8-0 lead.

Wisconsin starting pitcher Tristan Archer tossed six scoreless innings, allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out six. Oakland Athletics first baseman Nate Freiman, who went 3-for-5 with a double and home run against the Timber Rattlers on Saturday night, was 1-for-3 with a double and two strikeouts against Archer on Sunday and 1-for-4 in the game.

Ratterree struck again for the Timber Ratters in the top of the seventh when he launched a three-run home run to right-center. The blast, Ratterree's eighteenth of the season, made it 11-0.

Beloit (54-84, 24-44) got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh inning against reliever Barrett Astin. Justin Higley walked to start the inning and went to second on a grounder. Branden Cogswell singled to drive in Higley. Later in the inning, Boyd doubled to knock in Cogswell.

The Rattlers scored their final runs of the game on back-to-back solo home runs by Brennan and Neda in the top of the ninth inning. Brennan's homer was his third in the last four games to give him sixteen home runs this season. Neda's homer was his third of the year.

Astin walked a pair in the bottom of the ninth, but he induced a game-ending 4-6-3 double play to seal the victory.

The Quad Cities River Bandits won their game on Sunday afternoon by a 9-4 score at Burlington to prevent the Timber Rattlers from clinching the second half Western Division Wild Card. However, Quad Cities was eliminated from the playoffs with the Wisconsin victory.

The Rattlers can still clinch on Sunday if the Peoria Chiefs lose their game at Kane County. That game is scheduled to start at 6:30pm. If Peoria wins tonight, the playoff spot will go down to the final day of the 2014 regular season on Monday.

Wisconsin is at Beloit on Monday afternoon. Clint Terry (3-5, 2.49) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers on Sunday if they are not in the playoffs. If the Rattlers are in the playoffs, they will name another starting pitcher for the game on Labor Day. Beloit will send Kyle Finnegan (7-9, 3.69) to the mound on Monday. Game time is 2:00pm. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 1:40pm.

HOME RUNS:
WIS:
Michael Ratterree (18th, 2 on in 7th inning off Lee Sosa, 0 out)
Taylor Brennan (16th, 0 on in 9th inning off Trevor Bayless, 1 out)
Rafael Neda (3rd, 0 on in 9th inning off Trevor Bayless, 1 out)

WP: Tristan Archer (7-6)
LP: Hunter Adkins (1-6)
SAVE: Barrett Astin (4)

TIME: 2:51
ATTN: 1,520