Rattlers rally to win in ten over the Bees in game one
GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers rallied for a 7-6 victory over the Burlington Bees in game one of a doubleheader at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Wednesday night. Taylor Brennan's broken-bat single in the bottom of the tenth drove in the winning run.
Burlington (13-9) grabbed an early lead two batters into the game. Kody Eaves started the game with a double. Mark Shannon followed with an RBI double and the Bees were up 1-0.
The Bees tacked on three more runs in the top of the third. Erick Salcedo and Kody Eaves had back-to-back singles to start the inning and put runners at the corners. Shannon drove in Salcedo with a sacrifice fly. Rattlers starting pitcher Victor Diaz walked the next batter. Anthony Bemboom drove in both runners on base with a double to push Burlington's lead out to 4-0.
Wisconsin (11-12) rallied in the bottom of the third. Brennan started the inning with a triple. Omar Garcia drew a one out walk to give Wisconsin runners on first and third. Johnny Davis singled to drive in Brennan and put the Rattlers on the scoreboard.
Ratterree fell behind Burlington starting pitcher Clint Sharp 0-2 and fouled off a pitch to hang in the at bat. Ratterree launched the next pitch over the wall in left for a three-run home run. His fourth homer of the season tied the game 4-4.
Burlington went back in front in the top of the fifth against Wisconsin reliever Chris Razo. Eaves doubled to start the inning. A deep fly to center off the bat of Shannon moved Eaves to third base. The Rattlers infield was drawn in to get Eaves at the plate, but a high chopper over the mound for groundout by Mike Fish was enough to get the run home and the Bees a 5-4 lead.
Omar Garcia put together a good at bat to start the bottom of the fifth by fouling off four two-strike pitches before he singled to center. Garcia stole second, but Sharp got a strikeout before he left in favor or Trevor Foss.
Foss entered the game and Garcia stole third to be in prime scoring position as the tying run with one out. Foss got Ratterree on a popout to shallow center, walked David Denson, and struck out Clint Coulter to keep the Bees in front.
Burlington added an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Eaves walked with one out and stole second. Fish doubled to left with two out and Eaves scored for a 6-4 lead.
Bees closer Alan Busenitz recorded two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh and had an 0-2 count on Davis. But, Davis reached on an infield single. An error on the play moved him to second base. Ratterree fell behind 1-2 to Busenitz, but worked the count full before coaxing a walk.
The first pitch to Denson was a wild pitch by Eaves and that moved Davis and Ratterree into scoring position. Denson grounded a 1-1 pitch through the right side of the infield to knock in both runners and tie the game 6-6.
Rattlers reliever Trevor Seidenberger came on in the top of the eighth inning and worked three scoreless innings to keep the game tied.
In the bottom of the tenth, Coulter and Jose Pena walked with one out against Burlington reliever Michael Smith. Smith got the second out of the inning. Then, Brennan's blooper to right dropped in off the glove of second baseman Kody Eaves for a hit. Coulter scored easily from second to give the Rattlers the win.
The win allowed the Timber Rattlers to snap a four game losing streak.
The win was also the 215th of Matt Erickson's managerial career with the Timber Rattlers. Erickson has tied Gary Thurman's franchise record for career wins by a manager.
HOME RUN:
Michael Ratterree (4th, 2 on in 3rd inning off Clint Sharp, 1 out)
WP: Trevor Seidenberger (1-0)
LP: Michael Smith (1-1)
TIME: 3:24