Snappers Take Game One From Rattlers With Big Third Inning

BELOIT, WI - The Beloit Snappers scored five times in the bottom of the third inning against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and never looked back on Saturday Night at Pohlman Field. Beloit topped the Rattlers 7-3 in the first game of a showdown series between the two teams at the top of the Second Half Western Division Wild Card standings.
The Snappers (60-56 overall, 28-19 second half) took control of the game with five runs in the bottom of the third inning. The first two batters of the inning reached and Jesus Lage drove in the first run with a single. Nick Allen made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly. Later in the inning, Austin Beck doubled home a run and Hunter Hargrove drove in two with a single to put the Snappers up 5-0.

Beloit added to their advantage in the fifth inning with two runs off Wisconsin starting pitcher Nelson Hernández. Nick Allen reached for a leadoff double when his routine fly ball to center was lost in the twilight. Hernández walked the next batter. Then, Beck and Hargrove had back-to-back RBI singles to make the score 7-0 and chase Hernández from the game.

Wisconsin (55-62, 24-24) got on the board in the top of the seventh with a little help from the Snappers defense and reliever Ivan Andueza. KJ Harrison singled to right and took second when the ball was kicked into foul territory. Andueza, who had allowed one hit in his first four innings of relief, got the second out, but walked Zach Clark and hit Kenny Corey to load the bases. Brent Diaz cashed in the opportunity with a single to center that scored two runs. The ball was also misplayed in center to allow Corey to score all the way from first and the Rattlers had pulled to within 7-3.

That was as close as the Rattlers would get in the game as Nick Highberger tossed a scoreless eighth and a scoreless ninth with four strikeouts to close out the game.

Beloit's win in the first game of the four-game set allowed them to take a 4-1/2 game lead over the Rattlers in the Wild Card race.
Game two of the series is set for Sunday afternoon. Scott Sunitsch, the 18^th round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers from the 2018 draft, will make his Midwest League debut as the starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Beloit has named Mitchell Jordan (5-2, 3.29) as their starter. Game time is 2:00pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Pregame Show at 1:40pm. The broadcast is also available on the Tune In and IHeart Radio apps.