Rattlers Hang On to Beat the Chiefs

PEORIA, IL - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers went ahead of the Peoria Chiefs 10-0 on Monday night at Dozer Park in the first game of a four-game series and they would need most of those runs. Peoria scored six runs in the final two innings to make the score close, but the Rattlers held on for the 10-6 win.
The Timber Rattlers (4-1) scored in the second inning for the early advantage. Chad McClanahan started the inning with a single. Je'Von Ward singled with one out to send McClanahan to third base. LG Castillo got McClanahan home from third with a ground out to short. This was the fourth time in five games Wisconsin has scored first.

Yeison Coca, who went 4-for-4 on the night, started the Wisconsin half of the third inning with a triple. Pablo Abreu was next and he singled to left to get Coca home for a 2-0 lead. Ward drew a bases-loaded walk later in the inning to force in a run to put the Rattlers up 3-0.

Wisconsin started to pull away in the top of the fifth as they loaded the bases with one out. Castillo and Jesús Lujano each had an RBI single to extend the lead. Coca made the score 6-0 with a sacrifice fly to drive in the final run of the inning.

Adam Hill worked out of a slight jam by getting Nolan Gorman to look at strike three or the third out of the bottom of the fifth inning two runners on base to maintain the lead. Hill struck out six over five scoreless innings and scattered five hits and two walks in his outing.

The Rattlers poured on the offense in the top of the sixth inning. Gabriel García cracked a two-run home run for the first runs of the inning. Lujano and Coca had consecutive RBI singles later in the frame to put the Rattlers up 10-0.

Peoria (1-4) got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth. Rattler reliever Justin Bullock, who had retired the first six batters he faced after entering the game in the sixth inning, gave up a double and a hit batsman to the first two hitters he faced in the eighth. Then, Gorman cracked a three-run homer to left on an 0-2 pitch.

The next two Chiefs hitters reached base on a dropped third strike and a walk, but Bullock retired the next three batters to keep the Rattlers up 10-3.

Peoria got closer in the bottom of the ninth inning. Brandon Riley reached on an error with one out and Josh Shaw followed with an RBI single. Then, Gorman struck again. This time he hit a two-run home run to right off of Bullock and the Chiefs were within 10-6.

Bullock struck out the next batter for the second out of the ninth, but a single and an error on the play put a runner at second and ended Bullock's night.

Peter Strzelecki took over for Bullock and walked Ivan Herrera on four pitches to put two runners on base. Strzelecki closed out the game with a strikeout to give the Rattlers their third straight win.

The win in their first game at Dozer Park this season matched Wisconsin's win total for the entire 2018 season at Dozer Park. Wisconsin went 1-11 at the home of the Chiefs last season.
Game two of the series is at Dozer Park on Tuesday night. Scotty Sunitsch (1-0, 1.80) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Peoria will counter with Tommy Parsons (1-0, 0.00). Game time is 6:35pm. The broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM and the TuneIn Radio app starting with the Papa John's Pizza Pregame Show at 6:15pm. The game is also available to subscribers of MiLB.tv.