Miscues Cost TinCaps in Loss at Wisconsin

Timber Rattlers Take Second Straight, 6-3

By John Nolan

July 11, 2013

Appleton, WI -- For the second night in a row, the TinCaps lost on the road against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, this time by a final of 6-3. Defensively, Fort Wayne committed three errors, while at the plate, the TinCaps went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 runners on base.

Wisconsin (9-11, 37-47) opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning thanks to blunders by Fort Wane. Michael Reed and Tyrone Taylor hit consecutive singles to put runners on first and second base. Fort Wayne starter Max Fried (3-4) attempted to pick off Reed from second, but his throw sailed into center field, advancing Reed to third. Fried then threw a wild pitch to bring Reed home for the game's first run. Taylor made it to third on the play after catcher Rodney Daal picked up the wild pitch and made an errant throw to second in an attempt to throw Taylor out going from first to second. Both errors occurred with cleanup batter Victor Roache batting. Roache eventually singled to center field to score Taylor and give the Rattlers a 2-0 lead.

Fort Wayne (6-14, 49-40) cut its deficit in half in the top of the second and moved ahead with two in the third. Luis Domoromo brought in Dane Phillips with a second-inning sacrifice fly that made it 2-1. Then leading off the third, Tyler Stubblefield doubled to left-center field and scored to knot the game, 2-2, as a result of a two-base throwing error by Wisconsin shortstop Orlando Arcia. The TinCaps took their first and only lead, 3-2, on a sacrifice fly by Phillips to drive home Mallex Smith.

The Timber Rattlers went ahead for good in the fourth, again aided by a TinCaps miscue. With a runner at first base, Arcia pushed a bunt down the first-base line that Diego Goris couldn't field in time to beat Arcia, who was credited with a single. However, Goris made matters worse with a throw to first base that went over the 6'4" Fried's head. That enabled Parker Berberet to reach third and Arcia to second. Tyler Roberts scored them both with a single to right field, as Wisconsin regained the lead, 4-3. Later in the inning Alfredo Rodriguez hit a solo home run down the left-field line to increase the home team's advantage to 5-3.

While Wisconsin tacked on an additional run against reliever Colin Rea in the fifth, Fort Wayne continuously put runners on base, only to leave them there. The TinCaps left one runner on every inning from the second through the fifth, and then failed to score with the bases loaded in the sixth. Fort Wayne also deserted one in the seventh and two more in the ninth.

Leonard Lorenzo (2-4, 6.04) received the win a five-inning, five-hit, three-run performance. Harvey Martin worked three scoreless in relief to earn his first hold of the year and Jono Armold allowed a hit and hit a batter in the ninth, but still blanked the TinCaps for his third save.

Fort Wayne and Wisconsin conclude their three-game series at Fox Cities Stadium Friday night at 8:05 EST. The TinCaps turn to Matthew Shepherd against the Timber Rattlers' Eric Semmelhack in a pairing of right-handers. The game can be heard on The Fan 1380 and TheFanFortWayne.com.