Rattlers Outlast Beloit 13-8

BELOIT, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Beloit Snappers engaged in a marathon on Monday night at Pohlman Field. It was the Rattlers who had the endurance as they put together a finishing kick for a 13-8 victory in a nearly four-hour game to make the second-half playoff race between the Midwest League teams a little tighter.
The Snappers (60-58 overall, 28-21 second half) scored first with a run in the bottom of the first. Nick Allen started the inning with a double. Austin Beck tripled high off the wall in center with one out and Allen scored for a 1-0 lead.

Wisconsin (54-62, 26-24) answered in the top of the third with three runs to take the lead. The frame started with a single by Gilbert Lara and a walk to Payton Henry. Jay Feliciano was next and his grounder to third was misplayed for an error that scored Lara and got Henry to third. Gabriel García followed with an RBI single to score Henry and get Feliciano to third. The first out of the inning was García trying to advance to second on the throw to the infield.

Tristen Lutz drove in the final run of the inning on a high copper over the mound that went for a 4-3 put out as Feliciano scored.

Beloit rallied back to take the lead with five runs after there were two outs. Jack Meggs started the inning with a single, but he was still at first with two outs. Wisconsin starting pitcher Dylan File had two strikes on Jesus Lage, but gave up a single that put runners on first and second. 

File got ahead of Nick Allen with two quick strikes, but Allen drove a ground rule double to left that scored Meggs. A walk to Lazaro Armenteros loaded the bases for Beck, who dropped in a blooper to center to score two runs. Additionally, Beck saw no one covering second base and he motored into the base without a play for a double as the Snappers took the lead.

Hunter Hargrove was next and his grounder off the glove of García at third was ruled a single that drove in two runs and gave the Snappers a 6-3 lead.

Lara chipped away at the lead with a two-out RBI double in the top of the third and Wisconsin trailed 6-4.

The Rattlers went back in front with three runs in the top of the fourth. Feliciano started the inning with a double. Lutz singled up the middle with one out to put runners on the corners. Clark followed with a single to right center that scored Feliciano and put Lutz on third base.

Wisconsin used trickery to score the tying run against left-handed starting pitcher Jared Poche. Clark broke for second and drew a throw to get in a rundown. Clark stayed in the rundown long enough to both get back to first safely and for Lutz to break for the plate and score without a play to even the score 6-6. 

Clark wasn't done running. He stole second on the next pitch to get into scoring position. Then, Eddie Silva put the Rattlers into the lead with a double off the wall in left as Clark scored. The hit also moved Silva's hitting streak to ten games.

The Rattlers extended their lead in the fifth. Poche hit Henry with one out and gave up a single to Feliciano to end Poche's night. García greeted reliever Seth Martinez with a single to center to score Henry and the Rattlers were up 8-6.

However, the Snappers answered in the bottom of the fifth as reliever Sal Biasi loaded the base with no outs. An RBI single by Mickey McDonald and a walk to Skyler Weber allowed the Snappers to tie the game and sent Biasi to the bench in favor of Matt Hardy.

Hardy retired the next two batters to leave the bases loaded and keep the game tied. Hardy has inherited nineteen runners this season and has not allowed any of those runners to score.
 
Martinez couldn't keep the game tied as he loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth on a walk to Silva, an infield single by KJ Harrison, and a walk to Chad McClanahan. Henry drove in Silva with a sacrifice fly and the Rattlers had a 9-8 advantage.

Harrison had a big at bat to start the eighth inning against reliever Jesus Zambrano. The Rattlers designated hitter worked Zambrano for a twelve-pitch plate appearance before drawing a leadoff walk. McClanahan was next and the recent call-up from Helena crushed a 2-0 pitch to right-center for a two-run homer. The blast ended McClanahan's 0-for-11 start as a Rattler.

Harrison and McClanahan added to the lead with two-out RBI singles in the top of the ninth. Silva kept the inning going with a two-out single off Zambrano and a wild pitch moved him to second base. Harrison followed with a single to left to score Silva. Armenteros overran the ball as well and Harrison went to second base.

That spelled the end of the night for Zambrano and Lage made the move from second base to the mound to try for the final out. McClanahan welcomed Lage to the game with a sharp single to right to score Harrison for the final run of the night.

Carlos Herrera, who took over for Hardy to start the eighth inning, gave up a one-out double in the bottom of the ninth, but closed out the game by retiring the next two batters for his first professional save.

Eight of the nine Rattlers in the lineup had at least one hit. A different eight of the nine Wisconsin had at least one RBI. A third set of eight Rattlers in the lineup scored at least one run.
The victory pulled Wisconsin to within 2-1/2 games of the Snappers for the Second Half Western Division Wild Card with twenty games left in the season.
The final game of this four-game series is Tuesday night at Pohlman Field. Aaron Ashby (1-0, 2.30) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Bryce Conley (3-5, 4.48) is set to start for the Snappers. Game time is 7:00pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Pregame Show at 6:40pm. The broadcast is also available on the Tune In and IHeart Radio apps.