Rattlers Hang on to Beat West Michigan in Game 1

GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers led the whole way in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader against the West Michigan Whitecaps at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium but the game was in doubt down to the very last pitch as Wisconsin held on for a 9-8 victory.

The Timber Rattlers (7-9) grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first inning. Thomas Dillard drove in Korry Howell with a sacrifice fly and the Rattlers were up 1-0.

It appeared as if Wisconsin would go out quietly in the bottom of the second as Whitecaps starting pitcher Jesús Rodríguez retired the first two batters he faced. Yeison Coca extended the inning with double. Chad McClanahan followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.

Howell was next and he singled. A bobble in center allowed Howell to take second base and there were two runners in scoring position. Hayden Cantrelle cashed in the miscue with a two-run single. Then, David Hamilton doubled to right to score Cantrelle and the Rattlers had a 5-0 lead.

West Michigan (7-7) rallied for three runs in the top of the third inning and knocked Wisconsin starter Victor Castañeda out of the game. Parker Meadows forced in the first run of the inning with a bases-loaded walk. Spencer Torkelson followed with a two-run single.

Jesús Lujano gave Wisconsin a little more cushion with a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning.

The Whitecaps chipped away with a couple of solo homers. Rey Rivera hit his third homer of the series for the Whitecaps when he hit his solo shot in the fourth. Torkelson, the #1 overall pick in the 2020 draft, hit his first pro homer when he cracked a solo homer to center in the fifth to cut Wisconsin lead was down to two runs.

Wisconsin added two insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth. Coca reached on a run-scoring fielder’s choice for the first run. Howell made it 9-5 when he beat out an infield single with two outs to knock in the second run of the inning. That was Howell’s third hit of the game.

However, the Whitecaps kept scoring. Daniel Cabrera singled and took third on a wild pickoff throw to start the inning. Corey Joyce drove in Cabrera with a grounder.

In the top of the seventh, West Michigan loaded the bases with no outs as the first three batters reached on a walk, an infield single, and a dropped fly. Nash Walters was called into the game to put out the fire. He struck out the first batter he faced and appeared to end the game when he got Andre Lipcius to send a one-hopper right to Cantrelle at short. The flip to Hamilton was second was perfect and Hamilton’s throw to first was in plenty of time. But the ball broke through the webbing of the glove of first baseman Chad McClanahan and instead of celebrating a win, a run had scored to bring the Whitecaps a run closer and Walters had to get back on the mound in search of the final out.

Walters had a 2-2 count on Daniel Cabrera, but Cabrera singled to right to score another run, send Lipcius around to third base with the tying run, and bring Rivera to the plate.

Rivera sent a deep fly to right but it wasn’t deep enough. This flyball was safely put away for the final out and Wisconsin ended their three-game losing streak.