Rattlers Take Game One from Whitecaps

GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scored four runs in the third inning of game one of Sunday's doubleheader with the West Michigan Whitecaps at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium and it was more than enough for the Rattlers to cruise to a 6-2 win.

In the third, the Rattlers (48-49 overall, 17-11 second half) loaded the bases on singles by Yeison Coca and Jesús Lujano and a hit batsman on Connor McVey. David Fry doubled to left-center to score the first two runs of the game.

Thomas Dillard drew a walk to reload the bases. Gabriel García drove a fly to deep center to get the third run home. Je'Von Ward capped the scoring in the frame with a single to right to score Fry for a 4-0 lead.

The Whitecaps (32-65, 11-17) answered with a run in their half of the fourth inning. Dayton Dugas singled to drive in a run and West Michigan had runners at first and second with one out after the hit by Dugas. Rattlers starter Scott Sunitsch rebounded to strike out the next two batters to end the threat.

West Michigan got closer in the fifth inning. Ulrich Bojarski doubled with one out. Wenceel Perez drove in Bojarski with a two-out single and Wisconsin's lead was down to 4-2.
Lujano and Dillard set the stage for some insurance runs for Wisconsin by drawing walks in the bottom of the fifth inning. García cashed them in with a two-out, two-run triple and the Rattlers were up 6-2.

Sunitsch worked through the sixth inning. He allowed two runs on six hits walked one and struck out six. That put him in line for his seventh win of the season.

Jimmy Nelson, who was a Timber Rattler in 2011, entered the game in the top of the seventh inning for his Major League rehabilitation assignment from the Milwaukee Brewers. He allowed two hits, including a two-out RBI single by Andre Lipcius, before closing out the game with a strikeout.

The win was the fourth in a row for the Timber Rattlers.