Rattlers Can't Close; Cougars Rally to win

GENEVA, IL - A 5-0 lead on Saturday night at northwestern Medicine Field wasn't enough for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to get their first win over the Kane County Cougars this season. The Cougars chipped away at the lead to get close, threatened to at least tie the score a few times, and eventually won the game with two runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 walk-off win.
 
The Timber Rattlers scored five times in the top of the second inning to take the lead. The Cougars opened the door with an error to allow Nick Roscetti to wind up at third to lead-off the inning. Pat McInerney drove in Roscetti with a single. Gabriel García followed with a single. Then, Jay Feliciano cracked a long homer to left and the Rattlers were up 4-0.

Wisconsin took advantage of another fielding miscue later in the frame to add to their lead. Devin Hairston walked and Joantgel Segovia singled. The ball was misplayed in center to allow both runners to move up to second and third. Tristen Lutz got Hairston home with a grounder to short and the Rattlers had a 5-0 lead.

The Cougars got on the scoreboard with a two-out rally in the bottom of the second inning. Wisconsin starting pitcher Nelson Hernández issued a walk on a very close 3-2 pitch to Tim Susnara. Then, Joey Rose, who homered for Kane County on Thursday night, hit another home run and the Cougars were within three runs.

Hernández settled in after the homer by Rose and retired the next nine batters in a row, but ran into trouble with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. A single, a walk, and an infield single loaded the bases for the Cougars. Yoel Yanqui followed with a single to center to score two runs and cut the Wisconsin lead to one run.

The inning wasn't over yet. Hernández walked the next batter to reload the bases before getting a popup to end the frame with the Rattlers still up 5-4.

Robbie Hitt took over for Hernández in the sixth inning and worked around a two-out walk. In the seventh, Hitt had to work around a much more serious situation.

Jasrado Chisholm reached on an error against second baseman Nick Roscetti with one out. Then, Yanqui singled and Ernie De La Trinidad drew a walk to load the bases.

Hitt fell behind Eudy Ramos 3-0 before coming back with strikes on his next to pitches to run the count full. Ramos sent a one-hopper near the second base bag that Roscetti fielded cleanly. Roscetti stepped on second and fired to first to complete the inning-ending double play.

Rodrigo Benoit entered the game in the eighth inning and allowed a one-out double, but escaped to the ninth with the lead intact.

However, the Wisconsin tightrope act ended in the ninth inning.

Yan Sanchez singled to start the inning, but Benoit struck out Chisholm looking for the first out. Yanqui was next and he sent a grounder to third that looked like a game-ending double play. However, García let the ball get past him and the game continued. 

Benoit walked De La Trinidad to load the bases for Ramos again and Ramos did not let this opportunity slip through his fingers.

Ramos lined the first pitch he got from Benoit to deep center for a two-run single and the Cougars celebrated their 6-5 win.

Wisconsin is 0-5 against Kane County this season.

Game three of the series is Sunday night at Northwestern Medicine Field. Carlos Herrera (0-2, 6.59) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. The Cougars have named Jeff Bain (2-1, 3.32) as their starter. Game time is 6:30pm.

The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Pregame Show at 6:10pm. The broadcast is also available on the Tune In and IHeart Radio apps. Subscribers to MiLB.tv can watch the game over the internet.