Timber Rattlers Top Chiefs 4-1 to Open Series at Peoria

PEORIA, IL - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers defeated the Peoria Chiefs 4-1 on Saturday night at Dozer Park to open a four-game series. The Rattlers, who were coming off two straight shutout victories at Burlington, had three pitchers allowed just one run in this game.

The Timber Rattlers (42-61 overall, 16-19 second half) went to the lead with a run in the first inning. Demi Orimoloye doubled to start the game. Joantgel Segovia moved Orimoloye to third base. Keston Hiura was next and sent a grounder back to the mound. Orimoloye got trapped between third and home, but a low throw to third allowed him to break for the plate and score with a nice slide to avoid the tag.

Wisconsin added to their lead in the third inning. Caleb Whalen started the inning with a home run. Then, the Rattlers followed a similar pattern from their first run. Orimoloye doubled. Segovia sacrificed him to third. Hiura modified the pattern a bit as he singled past the third base bag for an RBI single to drive in Orimoloye. Hiura was out trying to stretch the hit into a double, but the Rattlers were up 3-0.

Hiura has a ten-game hitting streak since joining the Timber Rattlers on July 19. He went 1-for-4 on Saturday and is 16-for-41 (.390) with the Rattlers. The #1 pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2017 draft has played 25 games as a professional and has reached base in all 25. Hiura has at least one hit in 24 of those 25 professional games.

Peoria (50-54, 20-15) broke through in the bottom of the third inning against Rattlers starting pitcher Cameron Roegner. JR Davis doubled and Mick Fennell singled to put runners on the corners. Roegner got the first out of the inning on a popup, but Stephen Piscotty, who is on a rehabilitation assignment from the St. Louis Cardinals, rapped a sharp single to left to score Davis. Roegner bounced back to strike out the next two batters to end the inning.

The Chiefs had a threat in the fourth inning as they put runners on the corners with one out and Davis coming to the plate. Davis sent a grounder deep in the hole at short where shortstop Devin Hairston flagged down the ball and threw to second for the force. Jonathan Oquendo's quick turn and throw to first was in time to get Davis for the inning-ending double play.

Orimoloye extended the Rattlers lead with line drive homer to left to start the top of the fifth inning against new Peoria pitcher Anthony Shew. The homer, Orimoloye's tenth of the season, put the Rattlers up 4-1.

Roegner scattered eight hits over six innings and allowed one run. He walked one and set a new single-game high for strikeouts as a professional with seven before turning the game over to Nattino Diplan after the seventh inning stretch.

Diplan allowed one hit and struck out four over two innings to maintain the lead through the eighth. 

Alec Kenilvort, Wisconsin's newest reliever, took over for Diplan to start the ninth inning and worked around a two-out double in the ninth. He closed out the game with his second strikeout.

The Timber Rattlers have won three straight games.
Game two of the series is Sunday night. Victor Diaz (0-3, 5.47) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Evan Kruczynski (1-1, 5.34) is set to start for the Chiefs. Game time is 6:30pm. The radio broadcast of the twinbill is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Pregame Show at 6:10pm. The broadcast is also available on TuneIn Radio and IHeartRadio.