Chiefs Take Early Lead to Beat Wisconsin 6-2
GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Peoria Chiefs scored five runs in the first two innings of Tuesday’s game against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Neuroscience Group Field on the way to a 6-2 victory. The Rattlers were held to five hits in the game.
GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Peoria Chiefs scored five runs in the first two innings of Tuesday’s game against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Neuroscience Group Field on the way to a 6-2 victory. The Rattlers were held to five hits in the game.
Click here for the scoring plays
Peoria (48-60 overall, 22-21 second half) took a 2-0 lead with two runs in the first inning. Chase Davis and Leonardo Bernal had consecutive singles with one out. Tre Richardson singled to left and an error on the play allowed Davis to score with Bernal and Richardson both taking an extra base. A wild pitch with two outs allowed Bernal to score.
The Timber Rattlers (67-41, 25-17) cut into the deficit with an RBI grounder by Luke Adams in the bottom of the first.
The Chiefs collected three more runs in the second inning on three straight two-out RBI hits. Miguel Villaroel drove in the first run with a two-out single. Davis and Bernal followed with RBI doubles and Peoria was up 5-1.
Peoria added another run in the fourth inning. They had runners at the corners with no outs when Davis grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to score the runner from third.
Darlin Saladin, the Peoria starting pitcher, retired fifteen of sixteen batters he faced after a single by Blake Burke in the first inning. Burke had walked with one out in the fourth inning to snap a streak of eight Rattlers retired by Saladin.
Burke would collect his second hit of the game with a two-out single in the sixth inning to break another streak of eight consecutive Rattlers set down by Saladin. Wisconsin loaded the bases against Saladin in the frame as Luke Adams walked and Matt Wood singled. This rally chased Saladin from the game.
Roy Garcia took over for Saladin and got a strikeout to end the inning and strand all three runners. Saladin allowed one run on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts over 5-2/3 innings for his fifth win of the season for the Chiefs.
Wood tripled with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Eduardo Garcia drove in Wood with a single to give Wisconsin its second run. Roy Garcia ended any thoughts of a Timber Rattlers comeback with a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.
Burke and Wood both had two hits for the Timber Rattlers.
The Timber Rattlers have dropped the first game of a series in five straight series. The last time Wisconsin won game one of a series was on July 9, a 4-0 win over the West Michigan Whitecaps at home.
Game two of the series is Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field. Brian Fitzpatrick (4-2, 2.94) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Brycn Mautz (2-12, 5.49) is set to start for the Chiefs. Game time is 12:10pm CDT.
Wednesday afternoon is a day for the Silver Foxes Special presented by Network Health and 103.9 WVBO is available to fans ages 55 and older and active or retired military personnel for this game. Receive a box seat ticket, a Timber Rattlers baseball cap, a beverage, and a brat or hot dog for $25. This offer is available online this season by using this link and using coupon code “FOX”. Fans may order in person at the Box Office or over the phone (920) 733-4152, too.
If you can’t make it to the ballpark, there are several ways to follow the Timber Rattlers action. The game is available on tv-32 starting at noon. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM with the Community Blood Center Pregame Show set to go at 11:50am. The game is also available on the internet and the Bally Live App.