Rattlers Drop a Heartbreaker to Beloit
GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Beloit Sky Carp battled each other for twelve innings on Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. At the end of the night, it was the Sky Carp who prevailed with an 8-6 victory over the Rattlers.
GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Beloit Sky Carp battled each other for twelve innings on Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. At the end of the night, it was the Sky Carp who prevailed with an 8-6 victory over the Rattlers.
Click here for the Postgame Podcast
to hear from Joe Ayrault
The Timber Rattlers, who scored fourteen runs on Wednesday night, started Thursday’s game with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. The first three hitters reached to load the bases. Hendry Mendez, the fourth batter of the inning, lined a double off the wall in right to score two runs. Alex Hall, who had nine RBI last night, knocked in another run in the first inning with a groundout. Eduardo García capped the inning with a two-out, RBI single for the 4-0 lead.
Rattlers starting the game off strong! 💪 Mendez peppers the wall plating a pair. #tratnation
— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) July 7, 2023
Beloit: 0⃣ Rattlers: 2⃣ pic.twitter.com/kIGqFXwRNr
The Sky Carp (7-5 second half, 34-43 overall)chipped away with single runs in the second and third innings. A misplay on a potential inning-ending double play in the second inning let the first run score. Kahlil Watson drove in the run in the third inning with a grounder to short.
Wisconsin (7-5, 33-43) got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth. Jose Acosta tripled with one out. Robert Moore followed with a single to score Acosta for the 5-2 lead.
Tyler Woessner worked six solid innings as the Wisconsin for his sixth quality start of the season. On Thursday, he gave up two runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout.
The Rattlers missed on chances to add to their lead at points in the game. A runner was thrown out at the plate in the fourth. A lead-off triple in the fifth and a one-out double in the sixth were both left stranded. In the eighth, they got a runner to third with one out, but left him on base, too. The Rattlers stranded thirteen runners and were 5-for-23 with runners in scoring position for the game.
The Sky Carp got a run in the seventh inning on an RBI double by Zach Zubia. However, Wisconsin carried that 5-3 lead into the ninth.
Sam Gardner, who had pitched a scoreless eighth, went back out for the ninth, but allowed a one-out double to Joe Mack and a walk to Zubia. Beloit manager Billy Gardner Jr replaced both runners for more speed as Osiris Johnson took over for Mack and Angeudis Santos ran for Zubia. Gardner got the second out on a flyout to center and that left Gardner with one more move to make.
Cameron Barstad, who had a pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning on Tuesday night, was called off the bench to pinch-hit for Jorge Caballero. The count went full to allow the runners to be off with Garners payoff pitch. Moore, who was at short and shading Barstad up the middle, got a good jump on the grounder up the middle. He fielded the ball cleanly before whirling and throwing a bit wide of first the ball skipped past Martinez at first and both pinch-runners raced home to tie the score and – after the Rattlers didn’t score in their half of the ninth – send the game to extra innings.
Neither team scored in the tenth inning. Beloit sacrificed their inherited runner to third before Nick Merkel retired the next two batters. Wisconsin had runners at first and second with one out and the bases loaded with two outs but left them loaded to get the game to the eleventh.
Both teams scored in the eleventh. Jake Thompson doubled on a deep fly to left to start the inning, but Yiddi Cappe went back to tag and ran through a stop sign put up by Gardner to be an easy out at the plate. However, Thompson took third on the throw to the plate and that allowed Johnson to knock him home with a sacrifice fly to give Beloit the lead.
Moore, who had three hits and was on base four times, tied the game in the bottom of the eleventh with a one-out, RBI single. He would be left at second as the potential winning run and the game went to the twelfth inning.
Moore clutches up! #tratnation @__robertmoore_
— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) July 7, 2023
Beloit: 6⃣ Rattlers: 6⃣ pic.twitter.com/qVThtCBz9G
Barstad put the Sky Carp ahead with an RBI single in the twelfth. Jacob Berry added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly and that was enough. Wisconsin went down in order in the bottom of the twelfth to see their brief two-game winning streak end.
Moore is now on a 24-game on-base streak. Martinez, who singled in the third inning, extended his current hitting streak to twelve games.
Mendez had three hits and was a home run shy of the cycle for the Wisconsin.
Game four of the series is Friday night. Edwin Jimenez (2-1, 3.99) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Gabe Bierman (3-2, 3.39) is set to start for the Sky Carp. Game time is 6:40pm.
Margaritaville Night is Friday night and the first 1,000 fans to attend this game will receive a Bobblehips Hula Whiffer from Sure-Dry Basement Systems. Enjoy Supper Club Friday with a special of Arty’s Supper Club Cocktails for half-price during the game for fans of the legal drinking age. Stick around for Friday Night Fireworks after the game. Children twelve and under may run the bases courtesy of Menasha Corporation after the fireworks. The Boat Drinks will be performing after the fireworks, too.
If you can’t make it out to the ballpark, the broadcast is on AM1280 WNAM starting with the Community Blood Center Pre-Game 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.