Six-Run Lead Slips in Extra-Inning Loss Tuesday

Appleton, WI- The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers came back from six down Tuesday to beat the Chiefs 8-7 in 10 innings.

Peoria took a 6-0 lead into the seventh inning but the Timber Rattlers scored three in the seventh and four more in the eighth to force the game into extra innings. An Eduarqui Fernandez single ended the game in the bottom of the 10th.

Both starters traded zeroes through the first three innings on Tuesday. In the fourth, the Peoria offense broke the game open with a five-run frame. After a single and a hit by pitch, Jimmy Crooks singled to load the bases with no one out. The next batter, Jeremy Rivas, worked a walk to give Peoria a 1-0 lead. Then, two pitches later, Osvaldo Tovalin singled to left to score Aaron McKeithan and extend the Chiefs lead to 2-0. After a Thomas Francisco sac fly made it 3-0, Victor Scott tripled in Rivas and Tovalin to put the final touches on the big inning.

With the lead 5-0, Cardinals No.2 prospect Tink Hence went back to the mound to finish his evening on a high note. Hence set the Timber Rattlers down in order before departing the game. He allowed just one hit over four shutout innings Tuesday. Hence whiffed six Wisconsin batters to tie his season high.

The Chiefs tacked on an insurance run in the top of the sixth to make it a 6-0 game. Ramon Mendoza singled to left, scoring Tovalin for the second time in the contest.

The Peoria advantage remained steady until a two-out rally in the home seventh. After Edgar Manzo retired the first two batters of the inning, the next three men reached for Wisconsin. Fernandez’s RBI single made it 6-1 and chased Manzo from the game. Roy Garcia entered and promptly loaded the bases following a wild pitch and a walk. A Robert Moore single cut the deficit to 6-2. Then, Matt Wood walked with the bases loaded to make it 6-3. Garcia ultimately punched out Ben Metzinger to end the inning.

Peoria quickly answered with a run of their own in the eighth. Three consecutive walks, the third with the bases loaded against Nathan Church, gave the Chiefs a 7-3 cushion. In a game that featured 17 walks between the two teams, Church worked a pair of free passes and reached three times to extend his on-base streak to 18 games.

In the home eighth, Wisconsin tied the score with a four spot. After a Je’Von Ward RBI groundout made it 7-4, the T-Rats again did damage with two outs. Reliever Matt Hickey entered the game with the tying run at the plate in the form of Eric Brown Jr. After a free pass, Moore singled to center to score a pair of Wisconsin runs. With the score now 7-6, Wood fought off a two strike pitch to left to score Brown and knot the game at 7-7.

The teams traded zeroes in the ninth before heading to extra innings. Peoria worked the bases loaded with one out in the 10th against Wisconsin’s Brannon Jordan. Church, the MWL leader in hits, dug into the left-handed batter’s box but grounded into a 3-2-3 double play to end the threat. Fernandez’s heroics ended the game in the home half.

For the Chiefs, it was their biggest blown lead of the season. Peoria dropped their sixth consecutive decision and fell to 0-4 in extra-inning contests in 2023.

The series continues Wednesday afternoon from Appleton. First pitch is set for 12:10 p.m.