DAVENPORT, IA - Mitch Ghelfi broke a 4-4 tie with a two-run double in the top of the ninth inning to give the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers a 6-4 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits on Sunday afternoon at Modern Woodmen Park. Ghelfi had three RBI to help pace Wisconsin
DAVENPORT, IA - Mitch Ghelfi broke a 4-4 tie with a two-run double in the top of the ninth inning to give the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers a 6-4 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits on Sunday afternoon at Modern Woodmen Park. Ghelfi had three RBI to help pace Wisconsin to its second straight win.
The Timber Rattlers (59-78 overall, 33-36 second half) went in front with a run in the top of the first inning. Trever Morrison extended his current hitting streak to seven game with a one-out double. An error on a grounder off the bat of Keston Hiura allowed Morrison to take third base. Ghelfi drove in Morrison with a sacrifice fly and the Rattlers were up 1-0.
Wisconsin added to their lead in the fifth inning with two runs. Devin Hairston moved his hitting streak to eight games with a single and Dallas Carrol drew a walk. Then, Morrison blooped a single to left-center and Hairston raced home with the run. Later in the inning, An error let Carroll score for a 3-0 lead.
Thomas Jankins cruised through the first 4-1/3 innings as he retired the first thirteen Quad Cities batters he faced. Bryan De La Cruz collected the first hit for the River Bandits (78-59, 41-28) with a double in the fifth. Jankins got the second out, but walked Kristian Trompiz to keep the inning alive. Ray Henderson may Jankins pay for the walk as he lined a double to left-center to score both runners.
Jankins retired the final batter of the inning with a strikeout, his sixth K of the game. He left the game in line for his tenth win of the season.
Carroll gave the Rattlers an insurance run when he led off the Wisconsin seventh inning with a home run to left off Lucas Williams. The homer was his fourth with the Timber Rattlers.
But, Quad Cities rallied to tie the game in the seventh off reliever Daniel Brown. A lead-off walk and a one-out double put the tying runs in scoring position for the River Bandits. Brown got Trompiz on a grounder for the second out, but the runner from third scored. Henderson was next and he singled to right to knock in the tying run.
Both teams threatened to score in the eighth inning. Zach Clark walked with two outs and Ryan Aguilar followed with a double to the corner in right, but Williams escaped the top of the inning. JJ Matijevic singled to start the bottom of the eighth and Abraham Toto singled with two outs. Chase Williams relieved Brown and got the final out of the eighth to keep the game tied.
In the top of the ninth, Carroll drew a leadoff walk against Salvador Montano and went to second on a passed ball. However, a sacrifice bunt attempt by Morrison went back to the mound and Carroll was out at third for the first out. Keston Hiura drew a four-pitch walk to set the stage for Ghelfi.
Ghelfi drilled an 0-1 pitch from Montano deep to left, but foul to run the count to 0-2. The Rattlers catcher lined the next pitch to the gap in left-center to score both Morrison and Hiura to give the Rattlers the lead.
Williams worked around a one-out single and pitched a scoreless ninth inning to close out the River Bandits.
The final game of the series - and the regular season - is Monday afternoon. Adrian Houser (1-0, 1.50) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Quad Cities has not named a starter, but media reports indicate that Michael Feliz will make an appearance on a Major League Rehabilitation assignment. Game time is 1:00pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Pregame Show at 12:40pm. The broadcast is also available on TuneIn Radio, IHeartRadio, and MiLB.tv.
