Wisconsin Drops Another Close One at Clinton

CLINTON, IA - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers fell behind the Clinton LumberKings 4-0 early on Friday night at Ashford University Field. The Rattlers pounded thirteen hits in the contest and had at least one base runner on in all nine innings, but they fell just short in their comeback with a 4-3 loss.
Will Banfield put the LumberKings (8-6) up 3-0 in the first inning with a three-run home run to right. Wisconsin starting pitcher Adam Hill walked the first batter of the game, but picked him off first base. However, a walk and a single to the next two batters set the stage for Banfield to launch a 3-1 pitch from Hill over the wall for his first home run of the season.

Demetrius Sims added to Clinton's lead with a two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the second.

Wisconsin (6-8) got on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning. Brice Turang doubled, his second of the night, to start the inning. David Fry drove in Turang with a double to left.

The Rattlers cut into the lead again in the top of the fifth inning, but could have had a lot more. Connor McVey started the inning with a single and stole second. Turang singled to center and McVey took third base. Yeison Coca followed with a single to knock in McVey and the Rattlers were down 4-2. Fry was next and he blooped a single to left that loaded the bases and knocked Clinton starting pitcher Peyton Culbertson out of the game with the Rattlers poised to put more runs on the board.

That didn't happen. Reliever Tyler Mitzel entered the game and got a strikeout and a 5-4-3 double play to stifle the Wisconsin rally and keep the LumberKings up 4-2.

Wisconsin loaded the bases in the top of the sixth against Mitzel. LG Castillo reached on an error with one out. McVey singled and Turang drew a walk with two outs. Mitzel got out of the inning with a strikeout to leave the bases full of Rattlers.

Jesús Lujano doubled with one out in the eighth inning, but a late start from second on a slow roller in the grass in front of third turned into a 5-3-6 double play with Lujano getting tagged out at third base with the shortstop covering to make the tag for the final out of the inning.

Coca made it a one-run game in the top of the ninth with a one-out solo homer off Alex Vesia. The line drive to left cleared the fence for Coca's first homer of the season. Chad McClanahan singled with two outs, but Vesia closed out the game with a strikeout.

The Rattlers stranded eleven runners on base on Friday night to give them 24 runners left on base in the first two games of the series.
The series concludes on Saturday night at Ashford University Field. Scott Sunitsch (1-2, 3.68) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Manuel Rodriguez (0-0, 2.00) is set to start for the LumberKings. Game time is 6:30pm. The broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM and the TuneIn Radio app starting with the Papa John's Pizza Pregame Show at 6:10pm.

[Empty Body]