Rattlers Hit Three Homers to Beat Chiefs

PEORIA, IL – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers got three solo home runs to build a lead against the Peoria Chiefs on a rainy Friday night at Dozer Park. Eduarqui Fernández, Gregory Barrios, and Matt Wood all went deep for Wisconsin in a 9-4 victory. The game was delayed after six innings by rain. The Rattlers closed out the game after restart for their third straight win.

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The Timber Rattlers (13-6) scored in the first inning...again. Luis Lara singled with one out and stole second. Barrios was next and he grounded a ball through the left side of the infield. Lara had to hold to make sure the ball got through and made it to third. Barrios caught the Chiefs by surprise and kept running as the throw went into the cutoff man. Luke Adams put the Rattlers in front with a deep fly to left for a sacrifice fly to score Lara.

Wisconsin has scored 23 runs in the first inning this season. The have scored in the first inning in seven of their last eleven games.

The Chiefs (7-12) answered in the bottom of the first inning against Rattlers starting pitcher Brett Wichrowski. Leonardo Bernal hit a long, two-out, two-run home run to right to give Peoria a 2-1 lead.

The Rattlers had an answer in the top of the second. Jesús Chirinos singled and Fernández doubled with one out. Then, Terence Doston laced a double inside the line in left to score both runners and the Rattlers were back in front.

Fernández added to the Timber Rattlers lead with a monstrous home run in the top of the fourth. He squared up a 1-2 pitch from Chiefs starting pitcher Hancel Rincon and hit it out of the stadium with an exit velocity of 109-mph with a distance of 452 feet.

Wichrowski settled in after the first inning and would strike out seven over 3-2/3 innings to set a new single-game high for strikeouts as a pro. Joseph Hernandez took over for Wichrowski, who left after 68 pitches with a runner at first and two outs in the fourth for his 2024 debut and got a strikeout to end the frame.

Barrios and Wood extended the Rattlers lead in the top of the fifth inning on two more solo shots as the rain started falling at an increased rate. Barrios lined his dinger just over the wall in left with one out for his first home run of the season. Wood crushed a deep fly to right with two outs and he had his second home run of the season after the ball easily cleared the wall.

Hernandez tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth and the Rattlers added a run in the top of the sixth. Doston doubled with two outs and scored on an error.

Jake Polancic relieved Hernandez to start the bottom of the sixth and retired the Chiefs in order as the downpour became harder. The tarp was called for after the final out of the sixth. It was pulled about 40 minutes later with the game restarting after a delay of 67 minutes.

The Rattlers added an unearned run in the top of the eighth inning. Ramόn Rodríguez reached second on a throwing error to start the rally. Chirinos drove in Rodríguez with a single to center for an 8-2 lead.

Stiven Cruz, who relieved Polancic and pitched a perfect seventh inning, gave up a two-run home run to Dakota Harris in the bottom of the eighth inning, but nothing else.

Lara provided an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning as he walked, stole second, and stole third. Dionys Rodriguez would hit Adams and walk Wood to load the bases before uncorking a wild pitch that allowed Lara to score.

Yerlin Rodriguez, Wisconsin’s fifth pitcher of the night, ended the game with a strikeout to finish a scoreless ninth inning. Rodriguez has pitched seven scoreless innings in seven appearances this season with the Timber Rattlers.

Wisconsin relievers have allowed three runs – two earned – in 19-1/3 innings in the series with the Chiefs.

Game five of the series is scheduled for Saturday night. Alexander Cornielle (1-1, 7.11) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Peoria plans to send Pete Hansen (0-2, 7.24) to the mound. Game time is 7:05pm CDT. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Community Blood Center Pregame Show at 6:45pm. Fans can also listen to the audio on the internet or watch the game on the Bally Live App.