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Gray Powers Rattlers Past Lansing

Second two-homer, six-RBI game of the season for Wisconsin outfielder
Joe Gray Jr is congratulated after his first three-run homer of the night for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on June 24, 2023. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers)
By Chris Mehring
June 24, 2023

GRAND CHUTE, WI – Joe Gray Jr and Jonny Butler brought out the heavy artillery for Saturday night’s game between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Lansing Lugnuts at Neuroscience Group Field. Both players homered twice, but Gray had a pair of three-run homers, including the go-ahead blast in the bottom

GRAND CHUTE, WI – Joe Gray Jr and Jonny Butler brought out the heavy artillery for Saturday night’s game between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Lansing Lugnuts at Neuroscience Group Field. Both players homered twice, but Gray had a pair of three-run homers, including the go-ahead blast in the bottom of the seventh inning to push Wisconsin to an 8-5 win over Lansing.

Click here for the boxscore

Butler put the Lugnuts (32-35 overall, 1-1 second half) up with a solo home run in the top of the first inning.

Wisconsin (27-39, 1-1) powered up to take the lead in the bottom of the first. Lugnuts starter Jacob Watters walked Robert Moore and Matt Wood with one out. Gray was next, and he ran the count full before hitting a towering home run to left to give the Rattlers a 3-1 lead. Darrien Miller followed with a solo homer to center.

The Lugnuts pulled to within a run with two tallies in the top of the third. Max Muncy reached on an infield single with one out. Butler drove in Muncy with a double to right. Andrew Susac delivered Butler with a single.

Butler evened the score in the top of the fifth inning when he cracked a solo homer with two outs. This homer was his third of the series and tenth of the season.

Edwin Jimenez, the Wisconsin starting pitcher, left the game after six innings with the score tied 4-4. He did not walk a batter and struck out three.

Lansing went back in front in the top of the seventh against reliever Ryan Brady. Danny Bautista blooped in a single and stole second to start the inning. CJ Rodriguez singled to put runners on the corners. Euribiel Angeles sent a grounder to short and the Rattlers got the force at second, but Bautista scored the go-ahead run. Brady got out of the inning with no more damage before the offense went to work in the bottom of the seventh.

Eduarqui Fernández started the inning with double to left against reliever Brock Whittlesey. Then, Jose Acosta singled sharply to left. Fernández was held at third, but Butler threw to the plate and missed the cutoff man to allow Acosta to take for second base. Whittlesey got the first out when Brown sent a sinking liner to left field that Butler caught to keep the runners where they were. Moore was walked intentionally after the first two pitches missed and the bases were loaded for Wisconsin.

Wood stepped into the box and ran the count full before fouling off three pitches to stay alive. Wood lined the tenth pitch of the at bat deep enough to right to knock in Fernández with the tying run. That set the stage for Gray.

Whittlesey quickly got ahead of Gray but made a mistake on a 1-2 pitch. Gray blasted that pitch into the Lansing bullpen and the Rattlers had an 8-5 lead.

Brady pitched a perfect eighth inning and pitched around a hit batsman and a walk in the top of the ninth to close out the comeback win for the Rattlers.

Saturday was Gray’s second two-homer, six-RBI game of the season. He also completed that feat on May 28 at Cedar Rapids. Gray leads the Rattlers in homers (8) and RBI (36).

The series finale is Sunday afternoon. Jacob Misiorowski (1-0, 0.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Joelvis Del Rosario (0-4, 3.57) is set to start for the Lugnuts. Game time is 1:10pm CDT.

Sunday is also the final game of Udder Tuggers Weekend, and it features an Udder Tuggers-themed reversible bucket hat for the first 1,000 fans to attend this game courtesy of Century 21 Ace Realty. Fans will be allowed on the outfield from noon to 12:30pm to play catch prior to this game courtesy of Bug Tussel. Players will be available for autographs with fans in a postgame autograph session courtesy of Tundraland.

The Udder Tuggers jerseys that have been worn by the players and coaches this weekend are currently in online auctions at this link. The auctions, with half of the jerseys in one and the other half in another, end on Sunday night. The first auction ends at 6:30pm CDT with the second ending at 7:00pm CDT.

If you can’t make it to the game, the broadcast is on AM1280 WNAM starting with the Community Blood Center at 12:50pm. 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. Sunday’s game is also available to fans in Northeast Wisconsin on CW-14 starting at 1:00pm.

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