Late Run Lifts Rattlers Over River Bandits

DAVENPORT, IA – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scored a run in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie and held on for a 3-2 victory over the Quad Cities River Bandits Wednesday night at Modern Woodmen Park. The win was the fifth in a row for the Rattlers.

Click here for the boxscore of this game

Wisconsin (19-10) wasted no time in taking an early lead. Tyler Black singled on the first pitch of the game. Zavier Warren homered to right on the second pitch of the game and the Rattlers were up 2-0.

The River Bandits (11-18) scored an unearned run in their half of the fifth inning. Kale Emshoff started the inning with a flyball to left that was dropped for a two-base error. A wild pitch by Antoine Kelly on ball four to Diego Hernandez put runners on the corners. Then, Hernandez stole second and Quad Cities had the tying runs in scoring position with no outs. Kelly got the first out on a popup, but Dillan Shrum drove in Emshoff with a sacrifice fly to right.

Tyler Gentry started the Quad Cities sixth inning with an infield single and stole second. Gentry attempted a double steal and took third base, but the throw to second caught Luca Tresh for the second out of the inning. Kelly hit the next batter and left the game with runners on the corners and two outs.

Emshoff singled to left against reliever Kent Hasler and Gentry scored the tying run.

The game did not stay tied long.

Joe Gray Jr doubled to right and took third on a wild pitch to start the eighth inning. Tristan Peters slow tapper up the first base line was enough to get Gray home with the go-ahead run.

Cam Robinson closed out the game with two scoreless innings. Robinson worked an uneventful eighth inning by retiring the side in order. The degree of difficulty in the bottom of the ninth was increased after a leadoff walk to Emshoff. Pinch-runner Burle Dixon took over for Emshoff as the tying run.

A sacrifice bunt and a slow grounder to first put Dixon at third base with two outs and Shrum stepping to the plate. Shrum worked a nine-pitch at bat against Robinson as he fouled off four different two-strike pitches to stay alive. Robinson won in the end as he got Shrum to swing and miss at strike three to nail down his sixth save of the season. Robinson is six-for-seven in save opportunities in 2022.

Kelly pitched 5-2/3 innings to set a new single-game high as a professional. He allowed three hits – two infield singles and a bloop single – walked three, struck out two, and hit a batter for a no decision.

Peters singled in the fourth inning to push his current on-base streak to nineteen games.

The win gave Wisconsin their third different five-game winning streak of the season and pushed the Rattlers to nine games over the .500 mark for the first time this season.

Game three of the series is Thursday night. Justin Jarvis (1-2, 6.66) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Quad Cities has named Charlie Neuweiler (2-3, 5.32) as their starter. Game time is 6:30pm with the radio broadcast on AM1280, WNAM and internet audio starting at 6:10pm.