Wisconsin Storms Back to Take Game One from Loons

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GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers rallied from a 6-1 deficit with three home runs, including a pair of three-run homers in the sixth inning, to defeat the Great Lakes Loons 8-7 in game one of a doubleheader on Wednesday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

Great Lakes (45-40) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. A lead-off walk to Ryan Ward was followed by an RBI double off the bat of Carson Taylor. Eddys Leonard had an RBI single later in the inning. Wisconsin starting pitcher Joey Matulovich got out of the inning with no more damage as he escaped a bases-loaded situation with a strikeout to end the frame.

The combination of Ward and Taylor go the Loons their third run. Ward walked with one out in the second and Ward followed with another double. Zac Ching was next and he cracked a home run to right and the Loons were up 5-0.

Wisconsin (40-44) got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second. Chad McClanahan doubled and went to third on a passed ball. Yeison Coca drove in McClanahan with a grounder.

Joe Vranesh added to the lead for Great Lakes with a solo home run in the third inning to put the Rattlers back down by five runs.

McClanahan hit a lead-off home run in the bottom of the fifth and Wisconsin trailed 6-2 after this blast.

The Timber Rattlers played more long ball in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead. Antonio Piñero started the inning with a double and an error let him take third base. Je’Von Ward drew a walk and that ended the day for reliever Zack Plunkett. Then, Joe Gray Jr. lined a three-run homer to left off Mike Mokma on an 0-1 pitch to get Wisconsin to within 6-5. Zavier Warren followed with a walk, but Mokma retired the next two batters. LG Castillo kept the inning alive with a single to right.

That brought Coca to the plate and the Wisconsin second baseman blasted a home run to the boardwalk above the Great Lakes bullpen to give Wisconsin an 8-6 lead.

Brady Schanuel pitched 2-1/3 innings of scoreless relief before turning the game over to Evan Reifert with one out in the top of the sixth inning. Reifert struck out both batters he faced and Wisconsin took the 8-6 lead to the seventh.

The Loons gave Wisconsin a bit of a scare as Ching hit a towering home run to left to lead-off the seventh. Then, an error let the tying run get on base. Reifert bounced back to strikeout the next three batters to secure the victory and his third save of the season.