Rattlers Shut Out Quad Cities to End Losing Streak

DAVENPORT, IA - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers put their pitching and offense together for a 9-0 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits on Monday night at Modern Woodmen Park. Bowden Francis set a new single-game high as a professional and picked up the win to help end Wisconsin's ten-game losing streak.
Wisconsin (32-42 overall, 1-4 second half) took the lead with a run in the first inning. Darren Seferina started the game with a single. Tristen Lutz followed with a double off the wall in left and the Rattlers had a 1-0 lead as Seferina scored without a throw. Lutz put the Rattlers in front and moved his hitting streak to nine games with that first-inning double.

The River Bandits (41-34, 1-4) threatened in the bottom of the first. Logan Mattix tried to score from second on a single to center by David Hensley. But, Zach Clark's throw to the plate was in plenty of time and catcher Payton Henry held on to the ball as Mattix collided with him. That was the last real chance Quad Cities had against Francis.

The Rattlers added to their lead in the second inning as they loaded the bases with one out. Lutz made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to center.

Henry cracked a lead-off home run in the top of the third inning. Henry's sixth home run of the season put the Rattlers up 3-0. Later in the third, Rob Henry reached on an error and took second on a wild pitch. Gilbert Lara singled home Henry for a 4-0 advantage.

Jay Feliciano stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the fourth inning and stroked a single to left that scored two runs. An error on the play allowed a third run to score and the Rattlers were in control with a 7-0 lead.

The offense provided more than enough support for Francis. The Rattlers right-hander sent a new single-game high for strikeouts as a professional as he struck out ten River Bandits. Francis allowed four hits and walked none as he worked seven shutout innings.

KJ Harrison added two more runs for the Rattlers in the ninth when his fly ball to right with the bases loaded dropped in for a double.

JT Hintzen, the 10^th round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2018 draft, made his Timber Rattlers debut with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen to close out the game and help Wisconsin end its ten-game losing streak.
Game two of the series is set for Tuesday night at Modern Woodmen Park. Christian Taugner (2-6, 3.82) is set to start for the Rattlers. Leovanny Rodriguez (2-0, 2.93) has been named as the scheduled starter for the River Bandits. Game time is 6:35pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Pregame Show at 6:15pm. The broadcast is also available on the Tune In and IHeart Radio apps. Subscribers to MiLB.tv can watch the game over the internet.