Bandits Get Late, Two-Out Runs to Beat Wisconsin

GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Quad Cities River Bandits delivered two, key two-out, RBI hits late in Thursday night’s game against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers for a 7-5 win at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Javier Vaz broke a 4-4 tie with a two-out, RBI single in the seventh inning and Cayden Wallace gave the Bandits big insurance runs with a two-out, two-run single in the ninth inning to prevent a Rattlers comeback.

Click here for the boxscore of this game

Wisconsin (11-24) scored first in the game. Eric Brown Jr. moved his on-base streak to sixteen games with a walk to start the Rattlers first inning. Brown promptly stole second but was still there with two outs. Ben Metzinger cashed in the opportunity with a single to left for the 1-0 lead with the first two-out RBI hit in the game.

Eduardo García doubled the Wisconsin advantage with a long home run to left with one out in the second inning.

Garcia goes DEEP into left field for a home run to continue the Rattlers' lead ⚾️ #TRatNation pic.twitter.com/ndrIxJrKSV

— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) May 19, 2023

Rattlers starting pitcher Alexander Cornielle walked two batters over three hitless, scoreless innings as he faced the minimum thanks to inning-ending double plays in the second and third inning.

Then, the River Bandits (15-21) took the lead in the top of the fourth inning as the first four batters reached base and scored. Jack Pineda started the frame with a single and stole second. Vaz doubled to knock in Pineda. Wallace, the Midwest League leader in RBI, followed with an RBI single to tie the game. Gavin Cross was next, and he homered to the Quad Cities bullpen for a 4-2 lead.

Cross has homered in three straight games in the series.

The Timber Rattlers came back in the bottom of the fifth inning. Terence Doston singled before Brown doubled high off the wall in left field to put runners at second and third. Robert Moore tied the game when he ripped a double to left to score both runners.

The River Bandits had a runner at second with two outs in the top of the seventh inning and Vaz delivered the RBI single to score the go-ahead run.

Quad Cities loaded the bases in the top of the ninth with one out. Wisconsin got the second out on a force play at the plate on a nice play by Brown on a chopper up the middle of the diamond. However, Wallace padded the Bandit lead with a two-run single to center. Wallace’s three RBI on Thursday night gave him 31 RBI on the season.

Brown and Moore kept fighting to the end for the Rattlers. Brown doubled with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Moore singled him home to bring the tying run to the plate, but the Bandits got the final out to win their third straight and send the Rattlers to their fourth consecutive loss.

Moore recorded his first three-RBI game with the Rattlers. Brown’s on-base streak wasn’t the only streak he kept alive. Brown, who was 2-for-4 in the game, is on a team-high seven game hitting streak for Wisconsin.

Game four of the series is Friday night. Joseph Hernandez (2-2, 3.71) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Chandler Champlain (2-3, 3.03) has been named as the starting pitcher for the River Bandits. Game time is 6:40pm CDT.

The Timber Rattlers will become Los Cascabeles de Wisconsin for the first time this season by wearing their Copa new caps and jerseys for this game courtesy of DiGiorno Pizza. Fans of the legal drinking age may purchase Arty’s Supper Club Cocktails for half-price during the game on Supper Club Friday from Arty’s and 101.1 WIXX. Children twelve and under may run the bases courtesy of Menasha Corporation after the game.

If you can’t make it out to Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium, the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM starts with the Community Blood Center Pregame Show at 6:20pm. Fans can listen on the radio, on the First Pitch app, or at this link. The internet video feed is available to subscribers of Bally Live, too.