Timber Rattlers Claim Rain-Soaked Affair Friday

PEORIA, IL– In a game that featured a 67-minute rain delay, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers beat Mother Nature and the Chiefs in a 9-4 win Friday.

The Wisconsin offense pounded out 11 hits, including three homers and six extra-base hits in total. The Rattlers scored in seven of their nine innings Friday to best the Chiefs for the third consecutive night.

Wisconsin jumped out to a quick lead on a first-inning sac fly. With runners at second and third, Luke Adams brought home Luis Lara with a fly out to the warning track in left field.

Peoria responded in the bottom of the first with another home run in the series. Leonardo Bernal cashed in a lead-off double from Darlin Moquete with a two-run shot through the wind to give the Chiefs a 2-1 lead. For Bernal, it was the first High-A homer of his career.

The Chiefs lead was brief on Friday as Wisconsin kept applying pressure on Peoria starter Hancel Rincon. A Terrence Doston double scored two to seesaw Wisconsin back in front, 3-2.

After a third-inning zero, the T-Rats played long ball in the middle innings. In the top of the fourth, Eduarqui Fernandez connected on a 452-foot blast just inside the left field foul pole to double the Wisconsin lead, 402. In the fifth, Gregory Barrios and Matthew Wood each tacked on solo homers to give Wisconsin a 6-2 advantage.

Wisconsin led 7-2 going to the top of the seventh before inclement weather put the game on the hold. The clubs sat through a one-hour seven minute rain delay and later resumed with Peoria’s Dionys Rodriguez punching out the side.

The Timber Rattlers tacked on insurance in the eighth against Rodriguez. After a two-base error led off the eighth, Jesus Chirinos singled home Ramon Rodriguez to boost the lead to 8-2.

In the home half of the eighth, Dakota Harris continued his hot streak for Peoria. Harris launched a two-run homer to left to cut the deficit to 8-4. Harris has hit three homers in the series and became the first Chiefs batter to homer in consecutive games in 2024.

Wisconsin tacked on another insurance run in the top of the ninth without the benefit of a hit to create a 9-4 lead that soon went final. Rattlers starter Brett Wichrowski settled in after Bernal’s homer but departed in the fourth after reaching his pitch count. Reliever Joseph Hernandez earned the win after 1 ⅓ perfect innings. Rincon surrendered six earned runs over five innings to take the loss.

Game five of the series is set for Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Left-hander Pete Hansen will start his fourth game of the season for Peoria.