Clinton Wins Wild, Extra-Inning Game Over Wisconsin

GRAND CHUTE, WI - Friday's game at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Clinton LumberKings had a little bit of everything. In the end, the LumberKings outlasted the home team 9-7 in ten innings.
Clinton (45-34 overall, 6-3 second half) jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Zach Davies, who was down from the Milwaukee Brewers on a rehabilitation assignment. Eugene Helder doubled with one out. Ryan Costello, the Midwest League leader in RBI, followed with a triple to right-center. Jack Larsen was next and - in his first at bat off the Clinton disabled list - he hit a home run to right for a 3-0 lead.

KJ Harrison put the Rattlers (34-44, 3-6) on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning when he launched a two-run home run to left. Harrison's seventh homer of the season pulled Wisconsin to within a run.

The LumberKings padded their lead with three more runs off Davies in the third inning. Helder started the inning with a single. Costello followed with an RBI double. Later in the inning, Keegan McGovern hit a two-run homer and Clinton was up 6-2.

Davies left after three innings. He allowed six runs on ten hits with no walks and no strikeouts.

The Timber Rattlers rallied to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning by scoring five runs. Payton Henry started the inning with a single. Tristen Lutz knocked in Henry with a double. Gilbert Lara followed with an RBI double and the Rattlers were within 6-4.

Harrison was next and he singled to put runners on the corners. Lara scored on fielder's choice off the bat of Rob Henry to cut the deficit to one run. Zach Clark stepped in a ripped a double to get Henry home with the tying run. Later in the inning, Trever Morrison reached on an infield single and Clark scored from second on a wild throw on the play to give the Rattlers a 7-6 lead.

Carlos Herrera entered the game in the top of the fifth inning, but had runners on second and third with one out after a walk and a double. Herrera struck out the next batter and had two strikes on Ariel Sandoval, but Herrera uncorked a wild pitch to allow the tying run to score. Then, Sandoval grounded out to end the inning, but that was not the end of the action.
Sandoval and Herrera became involved in an altercation after the play and the shoving match lead to the benches and bullpens clearing. Both catalysts were ejected from the game.

The relievers kept the game tied 7-7 through nine innings. Clinton's Steven Moyers worked 4-1/3 innings and allowed two hits. Wisconsin's Robbie Hitt took over for Herrera and allowed one hit over three scoreless innings.

In the tenth inning, the LumberKings scored twice to take the lead. Larsen started the inning at second under the new extra inning format against Cody Beckman, who came on for Hitt in the ninth. Johnny Adams sent a wind-blown popup to right with one out and the ball dropped between Lutz and Morrison. Larsen had frozen at second, but Adams took off for a double. Lutz ran at Adams and got him to stop, but Larsen then started for third. Lutz's throw to third would have been in time, but the ball short-hopped Gabriel García, who could not handle the throw, and Larsen was safe.

Zach Scott, who was the replacement for Sandoval, sent a line drive to medium left and Larsen tagged to try and score. Rob Henry's throw was just a little off line and Larsen scored the go-ahead run on the sacrifice fly. Dimas Ojeda made it 9-7 with a two-out double to score Adams.

Collin Kober, who took over in the top of the ninth, stranded Wisconsin's free runner at second base by retiring the three Rattlers he faced in the bottom of the tenth to close out the win.

The LumberKings are 8-2 in extra innings under the new rules this season. The Rattlers are 2-2 in extra innings in 2018.
Game three of the series is scheduled for Saturday night. Bowden Francis (4-4, 4.41) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. The LumberKings have named Oliver Jaskie (3-7, 6.23) as their starter. Game time at Neuroscience Group Field is 6:35pm.
Stacey Hennessey presents Wisconsin's annual Star Wars™ Night and there is no need to go rogue to attend Saturday's game. Players and coaches will wear Star Wars-themed jerseys during the game. The jerseys are being auctioned at TimberRattlersAuctions.com and the proceeds will go to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Charity Foundation to benefit Make-A-Wish© Wisconsin. There will also be plenty of characters from the movies for you to meet before and during the game. Tundraland presents the postgame fireworks celebration. After the fireworks, children 14 and under may run the bases courtesy of Meijer. It's all part of a North Shore Bank Family Night with WIXX.
If you can't make it out to the ballpark, the radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Pregame Show at 6:15pm. The broadcast is also available on the Tune In and IHeart Radio apps. Saturday's game will also be televised on CW-14 in Green Bay and My-24 in Milwaukee starting at 6:30pm. Subscribers to MiLB.tv can watch the game over the internet.