Wisconsin Sweeps Whitecaps to Reach .500

GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers needed a sixth-inning rally to get a doubleheader sweep of the West Michigan Whitecaps on Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The home team got what they needed when they scored four runs in their final at bat of a long day at the ballpark to defeat the Whitecaps 6-4.

Wisconsin (49-49 overall, 18-11 second half) took the lead in game two with a run in the first inning. Korry Howell doubled to start the frame for the Rattlers. David Fry knocked in Howell with a single and the Rattlers were up 1-0.

West Michigan (32-66, 11-18) evened the game in the top of the fourth inning. Jack Kenley hit a solo home run to right and the score was tied 1-1.

Leugim Castillo drew a walk with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. Yeison Coca followed with a single to put runners on the corners for the Rattlers. Howell was able to get Castillo home from third on a fielder's choice. Howell sent a grounder to second, but the Whitecaps could only get the force on Coca at second and Wisconsin was back up 2-1.

Adam Hill, the Wisconsin starting pitcher went back out for the sixth, but gave up a single to Parker Meadows to start the inning. That ended Hill's day and Tyler Gillies was called in from the bullpen.

Gillies got a grounder, gave up a single, and collected a strikeout against the first three batters he faced to bring Nick Quintana came to the plate with two on and two out. Quintana cracked a pitch off the middle of the batters' eye for a two-run triple and the Whitecaps were up 3-2.

Chris Proctor was next and he sent a fly ball to left. Castillo made a long run to get to the ball, but dropped it and that allowed Quintana to score for a 4-2 advantage.

The Whitecaps brought Zack Ness, the 7^th round pick from the 2019 draft of the Detroit Tigers out of LSU, into the game in the bottom of the sixth. Jesús Lujano, who had two hits in the opening game of the twinbill, started the inning with a single. Ness got the first out of the inning, but walked Thomas Dillard and Gabriel García to load the bases.

Ness uncorked a wild pitch with Brent Díaz at the plate to let Lujano score and the Rattlers were down by a run. Dillard was the second out of the inning when he tried to score from third on a grounder off the bat of Díaz.

That was the end of the game for Ness and Jose Vasquez came on to face Je'Von Ward to try to get the final out. 

Ward sent a grounder to short, but the ball was misplayed for an error and García scored the tying run.

That brought Castillo to the plate and he made up for his error in the top of the sixth when he lined a two-run double down the line in right on a 2-2 pitch from Vasquez to put the Rattlers up 6-4.

Victor Castaneda put the finishing touches on the Rattler victory by striking out the Whitecaps in order in the top of the seventh inning for his fourth save of the season.

The win was the fifth in a row for the Rattlers and it got them back to the .500 mark for the season for the first time since they were 14-14 on May 1.
The final game of the series in Monday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Max Lazar (3-1, 1.73) is set to start for the Timber Rattlers. West Michigan has named Brad Bass (1-2, 3.05) as their starter. Game time is 12:05pm.

The first 500 fans to attend Monday's game will receive a Mitch Haniger magnet from Lamers Bus Lines. Haniger was a Timber Rattler in 2012 and 2013 and made the American League All-Star team as a Seattle Mariner last season. 

Stop at a Qdoba location in Appleton, Neenah, or Oshkosh for an early lunch before the game and receive a free ticket to the game when you purchase an entrée. 

Seniors, Primrose presents the Silver Foxes Deal - box seat ticket, bucket hat, beverage, and brat or hot dog for $17 - to those 55 & older. If you and the kids missed Curios George on Sunday, he will be back to meet everyone on Monday.

If you can't make it out to the game, the radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM and the TuneIn Radio app starting with the Papa John's Pizza Pregame Show at 11:45pm. MiLB.tv subscribers can watch the game over the internet.