Rattlers Bust Out Late to Beat Bandits

DAVENPORT, IA – Jadher Areinamo’s two-run double in the eighth inning snapped a 1-1 tie and propelled the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to a 5-1 victory over the Quad Cities River Bandits Sunday afternoon at Modern Woodmen Park. The win gave the Rattlers a split in their six-game series with their West Division rivals.

Click here for the boxscore

Click here for the scoring plays

Wisconsin (4-5) broke in front in the top of the sixth inning. David Garcia started the top of the sixth with a single against Quad Cities starting pitcher Logan Martin. Then, Tayden Hall walked, and the River Bandits (6-3) went to the bullpen.

Tommy Molsky got Areinamo to ground into a 6-4-3 double play with Garcia taking third base. However, Molsky walked Blake Burke to extend the inning. Juan Baez made him pay with a single to right to score Garcia.

The Bandits came back in the bottom of the seventh inning. A one-out triple to center by Trevor Werner got the tying run to third against Zach Peek. Callan Moss followed with a double to drive in the tying run. Peek got the final two outs to keep the game tied.

Sunday marked the third consecutive game with the score tied 1-1 heading into the eighth inning. Quad Cities won the previous two games with a run in the bottom of the eighth for a 2-1 on Friday and four runs in the bottom of the eleventh for a 5-4 win on Saturday. The third time would be a charm for the Rattlers.

Garcia and Hall started the rally in the top of the eighth with a walk by Garcia and a single off the base umpire by Hall against Shane Panzini. Areinamo was next. He grounded a hit inside the bag at first. Garcia and Hall scored easily as the ball rolled to the corner for a two-run double. Burke followed with a single to center to drive in Areinamo. Eduardo Garcia capped the inning with an RBI double for a 5-1 lead.

Five Wisconsin pitchers scattered eight hits, struck out eleven, and walked none on Sunday. Tyson Hardin, who started game one of the series last Tuesday, worked four scoreless innings with four hits and five strikeouts. Jeferson Figueroa pitched around a two-out double in the sixth for two scoreless innings. Peek gave up the run but kept the go-ahead run in scoring position in the seventh. Yerlin Rodriguez struck out three while allowing a two-out single in the eighth. Aidan Maldonado closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning.

In three appearances on the mound this season, Yerlin Rodriguez has pitched five innings with no walks and ten strikeouts.

Eduardo Garcia’s double in the eighth extended his team-high hitting and on-base streaks. Garcia is on a seven-game on-base streak and a five-game hitting streak through Sunday.

The Rattlers welcome the Lansing Lugnuts to Neuroscience Group Field on Tuesday night to begin a six-game series. Ryan Birchard (0-0, 0.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Wisconsin. Lansing has named Jake Garland (0-1, 4.15) as their starter. Game time is 6:40pm CDT.

Celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on Tuesday for the anniversary of the day he broke the color barrier for Major League Baseball in 1947. Tuesday is also College Night $2 tickets for Reserved Bleachers or Grass Seats for students with a College ID at the ticket window or at this link for people with an .edu domain for their email address.

Tuesday is also the first Bang for Your Buck Night of the season. All fans may enjoy Nathan’s Famous hotdogs and 16-ounce Pepsi Products for $2. Those of legal drinking age may purchase 16-ounce domestic beers for $2. Bang for Your Buck is presented by NEW Manufacturing Alliance and 101.1 WIXX.

If you can’t make it to Neuroscience Group Field on Tuesday, there are lots of ways to catch the action. The game will be televised on tv-32 starting at 6:30pm. The radio broadcast on AM1280, WNAM and internet audio starts with the pregame show at 6:20pm. The game is also available MiLB.tv and Bally Sports Live.