Wisconsin Works Its Way to a Win
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers defeated the Cedar Rapids Kernels 5-3 on Sunday afternoon in the series finale at Rise 2 Greatness Field. The Rattlers scored three times in the top of the sixth inning to take a lead they refused to relinquish on the way to
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers defeated the Cedar Rapids Kernels 5-3 on Sunday afternoon in the series finale at Rise 2 Greatness Field. The Rattlers scored three times in the top of the sixth inning to take a lead they refused to relinquish on the way to another series victory.
Click here for the scoring plays
Cedar Rapids (51-37 overall, 14-10 second half) grabbed the lead in the third inning. Rubel Cespedes hit a two-out, solo home run to right for the 1-0 advantage. The homer was the ninth of the season for Cespedes.
Wisconsin (58-31, 16-7) answered in the top of the fourth with a two-out run of their own. Luke Adams started the rally when he was hit by a pitch with one out. Eduardo Garcia cracked a two-out double off the wall in left to score Adams with the tying run. The double by Garcia was Wisconsin’s only hit off Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Jordan Carr in his five innings of work.
Cespedes struck again with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning with another two-out, solo homer to almost the same spot as his home run in the third inning.
The Timber Rattlers took advantage of some shoddy defense by the Kernels in the top of the sixth to rally with three runs against reliever Jarrett Whorff. Luis Lara started the inning with a single and he went to second on a passed ball. Jadher Areinamo followed with a hard grounder to third that got by Cespedes for an RBI single to drive in Lara with the tying run.
Adams was hit by another pitch to get on base after Lara’s single. Whorff got the first out of the inning on a fly ball to center to bring Garcia back to the plate.
Garcia hit a hard grounder to third and Cespedes had it get under his glove for an error to allow Lara and Adams to score for a 4-2 lead.
The Kernels loaded the bases against reliever Yerlin Rodriguez with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to bring Cespedes back to the plate. Rodriguez hit Cespedes with a pitch to force in a run and cut Wisconsin’s lead to a single run. Rodriguez got the final out to keep the Rattlers in front.
Patricio Aquino worked two scoreless innings out of the bullpen to maintain the 4-3 lead into the ninth. Then, Ramόn Rodríguez cranked a one-out, solo homer for Wisconsin for a little insurance.
Bayden Root gave up a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth to Cespedes before getting the final two outs to close out the game for his second save of the season.
The Timber Rattlers won the final two games of the series to take the set 2-1 from the Kernels. Wisconsin is 14-2 with one split in seventeen series so far this season.
Adams now holds the Timber Rattlers franchise record for times being hit by a pitch. The old record of 24 was set by Darrien Miller in 2022. Adams has been hit by 26 pitches this season. He had four plate appearances on Sunday with two walks, two hit by pitches, two runs scored, and a stolen base.
The Timber Rattler are off on Monday. They return to action on Tuesday with the first game of a six-game series with the Beloit Sky Carp in Beloit, Wisconsin. Alexander Cornielle (6-3, 2.78) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. The Sky Carp are going with Karson Milbrandt (1-4, 4.26) as their scheduled starter. Game time is 6:35pm at ABC Supply Stadium. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Community Blood Center Pregame Show at 6:15pm. The game is also available on the internet and the Bally Live App.