Chiefs Hit Two Late Homers to Beat Rattlers

PEORIA, IL – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers quest for the .500 mark hit a roadblock in the eighth inning at Dozer Park on Saturday night. The Peoria Chiefs hit a pair of solo home runs in the eighth to turn a 2-1 Timber Rattlers lead into a 3-2 victory.

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Dylan File got the start for the Timber Rattlers (31-33) as part of a rehabilitation assignment. The Chiefs got to him for a run in the bottom of the second inning. A leadoff walk and a single put runners on first and second with no outs. File got a weak grounder to short for a force play at second for the first out. That brought Matt Chamberlain to the plate with runners at the corners. Chamberlain hit a grounder to third, but the Timber Rattlers could only get the force at second after a bobble on the play. That allowed the runner from third to score and the Chiefs had a 1-0 lead.

File, a Timber Rattler in 2018 who is currently on the 60-Day IL on the Milwaukee Brewers 40-man roster, pitched 2-1/3 innings, allowed a run on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

Joe Gray Jr. tied the game for Wisconsin with a lead-off homer in the top of the fifth. The home run was the first for Gray as a Timber Rattler. He had hit twelve for the Carolina Mudcats before his promotion to Wisconsin.

The Rattlers went in front in the top of the sixth inning. David Hamilton doubled to start the inning and stole third base with one out. Je’Von Ward chopped a single over the drawn-in infield to send Hamilton home for the 2-1 lead.

Wisconsin had a chance to push across an insurance run or two in the top of the seventh inning as Peoria reliever Leonardo Taveras walked the bases loaded with one out, but he escaped with a strikeout and a flyout.

Zach Mort, who came on in relief for Wisconsin in the fourth inning cruised through the seventh inning as he allowed one hit and one walk. Mort got the first out of the eighth and was ahead of Moises Castillo 0-2. Castillo hit the next pitch over the wall in left for a game-tying home run. Mort struck out the next batter and left the game.

Harold Chirino took over and fell behind Chandler Redmond. The 2-1 pitch was hit over the wall in left-center and the Rattlers were down 3-2. Redmond has hit ten home runs this season. He has five of them against Wisconsin. The Chiefs have hit 32 home runs in 23 games against the Timber Rattlers this season. They have also hit at last one home run in all five games in this series.

Gray started the top of the ninth inning with a walk against Paul Schwendel. He stole second with one out. Schwendel retired the next two batters to close out the game.

Saturday night was the eighth game out of 23 played between the teams to be decided by a single run. The Rattlers are 2-6 in one-run games against the Chiefs.

This game was also the ninth game between the teams that was decided in the winning team’s final at bat. This was the seventh time Peoria (24-41) has won on their last turn at the plate against Wisconsin.

The loss denied the Timber Rattlers a chance to get back to the .500 mark for the first time since they were 18-18 on June 13.

The final game of the series at Dozer Park is Sunday afternoon. The pitching matchup is scheduled to be a rematch of game one of the series on July 13 with Victor Castañeda (2-3, 3.74) set to start for Wisconsin against Wilfredo Pereira (1-6, 4.97) for Peoria. Game time is 1:35pm. The pregame show on AM 1280 WNAM starts at 1:15pm. The game is also available on internet audio or MiLB.tv.