This Date in Timber Rattlers History: August 4

Posiion Player Leury Bonilla picks up a save in Fort Wayne in 2007; Burgos picks up the win in 2010

Leury Bonilla did something rare. He was a position player and he picked up a save in an exra-inning game a Fort Wayne on August 3, 2007. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers)

By Chris Mehring

August 4, 2021

August 4, 2007: The Rattlers won 6–5 in twelve innings at Fort Wayne. Wisconsin had a 5–3 lead after Joe White scored on a wild pitch in the top of the sixth inning. Rattlers starting pitcher Kyle Parker retired the first two batters he faced via strikeout in the bottom of the sixth, but he walked the eighth and ninth hitters in the Fort Wayne lineup before leaving the game for Rollie Gibson….who walked the next two batters to load the bases and force in a run on nine pitches. Drew Fiorenza took over for Gibson and walked the next batter on four pitches to force in the tying run. In the top of the twelfth, Jamie McOwen put the Rattlers back in front with an RBI double and he scored on a Blake Ochoa RBI single for a 6–4 lead. In the bottom of the twelfth, Keith Renaud, who had worked a scoreless ninth, tenth, and eleventh, gave up a two-out, RBI single to Keith Conlon to cut the Rattlers lead to one run. Wisconsin’s bullpen was depleted and manager Jim Horner had to call on position player Leury Bonilla to get the final out. Bonilla commited a balk to let Conlon get into scoring position with the tying run, but he eventually struck out Matt Stocco on a 3–2 pitch to end the game and pick up the save.

2010: The Rattlers beat Peoria 3–1 at home. Hiram Burgos was the starting pitcher for Wisconsin and he struck out eight over seven innings. Hunter Morris tied the game 1–1 in the fourth inning and Cameron Garfield broke the tie with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the sixth.

2013: The Rattlers beat Beloit 6–1 at home. Victor Roache and Parker Berberet each hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a commanding lead. Roache had three RBI in the game. Eric Semmelhack allowed a run over six innings and Taylor Wall tossed three scoreless innings to close out the game.

2016: The Rattlers beat Burlington 9–2 at home. Wisconsin trailed 2–1until the bottom of the seventh inning. The Rattlers plated five runs in the seventh and added three runs in the eighth. Isan Diaz had a two-out, two-run double and scored on a wild pitch to cap the seventh inning for the Rattlers. Scott Grist tossed three scoreless innings of relief for the win.

Click here for he results of every Timber Rattlers game played on August 4.

Felix Hernandez (Timber Rattlers, 2003) made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners in a game against the Detroit Tigers on August 4, 2005.

Monte Harrison (Timber Rattlers 2015, 2016, & 2017) made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins in a game against the Baltimore Orioles on August 4, 2020.