South Bend Evens Series

GRAND CHUTE, WI – Round two of the six-game showdown series at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and South Bend Cubs went to the visitors as the Cubs stifled the Rattlers 8-2. Wisconsin was held to two hits and could not dig their way out of a 7-0 hole.

Click here for the boxscore of this game

South Bend (21-14) scored four runs in the top of the second off Ryne Moore, the Wisconsin starting pitcher who was making his Midwest League debut on Wednesday. Jake Washer singled on the first pitch of the inning and Grayson Byrd hit the second pitch of the inning for an RBI double. Byrd would score later in the inning when he got in under the tag on a play at the plate after a grounder to second. Jordan Nwogu blooped a single to right with two outs to score runners from second and third later in the inning and the Cubs were up 4-0.

The Cubs scored twice in the top of the fourth and it could have been a lot worse. Jake Slaughter started the inning by reaching on a hit batsman even as he appeared to stick his elbow into the path of the ball. Owen Caissie followed with a double to score Washer. South Bend would load the bases with no outs on another hit batsman and another bloop single. Nwogu was next and he sent a flyball to Carlos Rodríguez in left that was deep enough to score Caissie from third. However, the runner at second had wandered too far from the base and the throw from cutoff man Antonio Piñero to second and Tyler Black was there to get the tag on the runner for a 7-6-4 double play. The final out of the inning was recorded when the runner from first took off early for second and was caught 1-4 on a stolen base.

In the fifth inning, an almost identical play scored South Bend’s seventh run. They had runners at second and third with no outs and Washer sent a line drive to Rodríguez just short of the warning track in left. Both runners tagged with the runner from third scoring and the runner at second heading back to second. He did not make it back in time. Piñero took cut off the throw and fired to Black who applied the tag on the runner for another 7-6-4 double play.

Wisconsin (23-12) got their first base runner of the game when Tristan Peters walked to start the bottom of the fifth. Darrien Miller had Wisconsin’s first hit of the game when he followed with a single to center. Ashton McGee put the Rattlers on the scoreboard with a two-out, two-run double off the wall in left.

That was all the Timber Rattlers would get. Wisconsin was retired in order in eight of the nine innings on Wednesday. Three South Bend pitchers combined for thirteen strikeouts.

South Bend added one more run in the top of the ninth inning on a sacrifice fly by Cole Roederer.

Game three of the series is Thursday night. Justin Jarvis (2-2, 6.14) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Jordan Wicks (0-0, 4.30) is set to start for the Cubs. Game time is 6:40pm.

Thursday night’s game is dedicated to our local firefighters, paramedics, and law enforcement personnel. All first responders can show their ID and receive a reserved bleacher seat ticket for $1 on Local Heroes Night. The first 1,000 fans into the stadium for this game will receive a patriotic Timber Rattlers baseball cap from Sure-Dry and Kwik Trip. Fans of legal drinking age may purchase 16-ounce craft beer for $3. All fans can purchase a Cher-Make brat for $2 as part of Craft Brews & Brats Night with Fox River Brewing Company and The Score.

If you can’t make it out to the stadium, there are several ways to follow the action. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM and on internet audio starting with the pregame show at 6:20pm. The game is also available on MiLB.tv.