Big First Inning is Enough for Rattlers

GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers sent twelve men to the plate in the first inning and scored seven runs against the Clinton LumberKings on Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The seven runs were enough as the Rattlers held on for a 7-5 victory to complete a three-game sweep of the LumberKings.
JD Osborne hit a two-out, solo home run in the top of the first inning to put Clinton (26-26) ahead. The lead did not last.

Brice Turang started the inning with a single and a steal of second base. David Fry followed with a single to put Turang on third base. Manny Piña was at the plate when Clinton starting pitcher Jake Walters threw a wild pitch that allowed Turang to score the tying run.

Piña would bloop a single to right and an error on the play let Fry score and the Rattlers (25-27) were up 2-1.

The onslaught began in earnest as Chad McClanahan worked Walters for a 12-pitch at bat that ended with a double to right that moved Piña to third base.

Yeison Coca chased Walters from the game with an RBI single on the 37^th pitch of the inning from the Clinton starter.

Je'Von Ward welcomed reliever Alex Vesia to the game with an RBI single and the Rattlers were up 4-0. 

Turang came back to the plate with the bases loaded later in the inning and lined a two-run single to left-center. Fry followed with a grounder off the third base bag for an RBI double and the Rattlers were up 7-1.

Clinton rallied for three runs in the top of the third inning to cut into Wisconsin's lead. Thomas Jones had an RBI single for the first run. Osborne got his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly. Jerar Encarnacion brought the LumberKings a little closer with an RBI double.

Wisconsin starter Adam Hill retired the first two batters he faced in the top of the fifth inning, but gave up a bloop single to right to Osborne and another RBI double to Encarnacion that let the LumberKings pull to within 7-5. That would be the end of the line for Hill. Tyler Gillies entered the game from the Wisconsin bullpen to get the final out of the frame.

Gillies kept Clinton off the scoreboard with two more scoreless innings as he worked a 1-2-3 sixth and pitched around a one-out single in the seventh. That put him in line for his first win in affiliated baseball.

Anthony Bender, who had just been signed by the Milwaukee Brewers off the roster of the Sioux City Explorers of the independent American Association and sent to Wisconsin yesterday, took over in the top of the eighth inning and tossed a perfect frame. He worked around a bunt single and a walk in the top of the ninth inning to close out Clinton and earn his first save in the Brewers organization.

Wisconsin had been swept by the LumberKings in a three-game series at Clinton from April 18-20 earlier this season. The Rattlers lost all three of those games by a single run. The Rattlers returned the favor by sweeping a three-game series from Clinton at Neuroscience Group Field this week by a combined score of 27-17.

Piña went 2-for-4 with two strikeouts as the Wisconsin designated hitter on Thursday night in his third game with the Rattlers. He is scheduled to catch all nine innings for Wisconsin on Friday in the final game of his rehabilitation assignment.
The Timber Rattlers begin a three-game series with the Peoria Chiefs at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Friday night. Game one starts at 6:35pm and the Rattlers have Logan Gillaspie (1-1, 3.86) as the starting pitcher. Peoria has named Kyle Leahy (2-4, 4.75) as their starter.

Bratoberfest is back on Friday night! The Jerry Schneider Band will perform outside the stadium to get everyone in the mood. 

The first 1,000 fans will receive a Bratman Bobblehead from Cher-Make. This is the first of two scheduled nights where Rattlers players and coaches will don special lederhosen-inspired jerseys to become the Wisconsin Brats for the game. 

Fans of legal drinking age may have Arty's Old Fashioned Drinks for $3. Stick around after the game to see the first FOX 11 Fireworks display of the season. Kids aged 14 and under may run the bases after the fireworks courtesy of Menasha Corporation.

If you can't make it out to the game, you can follow the action on the radio or on the internet. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM and the TuneIn Radio app starting with the Papa John's Pizza Pregame Show at 6:15pm. MiLB.tv subscribers can watch the game over the internet.