CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers continued to pitch well and get timely runs and it helped them to a 4-2 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels Friday night at Perfect Game Field. Scott Sunitsch earned his sixth win of the season with 6-2/3 solid innings and the
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers continued to pitch well and get timely runs and it helped them to a 4-2 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels Friday night at Perfect Game Field. Scott Sunitsch earned his sixth win of the season with 6-2/3 solid innings and the offense provided just enough offense to give the Rattlers the win.
Wisconsin (37-40 overall, 6-2 second half) grabbed the lead with two runs in the top of the third inning. Leugim Castillo started the inning with a single and he moved to second on a wild pitch. Je'Von Ward followed with a single to center that skipped past Gilberto Celestino. Castillo had scored and Ward was cruising into third base by the time the ball had been retrieved. Brice Turang knocked in Ward with a sacrifice fly and the Rattlers were up 2-0.
The teams traded runs in the fifth inning. Turang drew a walk with one out and stole second. David Fry reached on an infield single with two outs and an ill-advised throw was wild to allowed Turang to score.
Cedar Rapids (42-36, 3-5) rallied in the bottom of the fifth on a lead-off double by Wander Javier, a walk to Jacob Pearson, and an RBI single to right by Estamy Ureña. The Rattlers were aided in getting out of the inning when Pearson tried to advance to third on a pitch in the dirt, but Fry made a strong throw to get the second out of the frame. Sunitsch ended the inning on a grounder to maintain the two-run cushion.
Sunitsch worked a 1-2-3 sixth inning and got the first out of the seventh before getting into trouble. He walked Javier and gave up a single to Gilberto Celestino. Sunitsch retired Jacob Pearson for the second out, but with Ureña due up, Wisconsin called for reliever Tyler Gillies. The Kernels countered with Jared Akins, who has eight homers on the season, as a pinch-hitter. Gillies won the battle by getting Akins to pop out to third for the final out.
Victor Castaneda, the third Wisconsin pitcher of the night pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth inning to hold the line.
The Rattlers added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Connor McVey drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs to force in a run and the Rattlers were up 4-1.
In the bottom of the ninth, Chris Williams doubled to start the inning against Peter Strzelecki. Celestino doubled with two outs to score Williams and bring the tying run to the plate. Strzelecki closed out the game for his third save of the season by getting Pearson to look at strike three.
The win was the third straight for the Rattlers. Wisconsin's pitchers held Cedar Rapids to a total of four runs in the three Timber Rattlers victories in the series. Wisconsin's bullpen allowed just two runs over 11-1/3 innings in the entire four-game series.
The Timber Rattlers continue their road trip on Saturday night with the first game of a three-game series at Beloit against the Snappers. Adam Hill (6-5, 4.06) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Aiden McIntyre (2-5, 2.88) is the scheduled starter for the Snappers. First pitch at Pohlman Field is scheduled for 6:30pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM and the TuneIn Radio app starting with the Papa John's Pizza Pregame Show at 6:10pm.
