(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) GRAND CHUTE, WI – Wande Torres is on a tear for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He made his third straight outstanding start and left the game with a 2-0 lead after seven innings. The Beloit Sky Carp tied the game in the eighth, watched Wisconsin go back in front, and loaded the bases with no outs only to fall short as Wisconsin held on for a 6-4 win.
The Timber Rattlers (47-32 overall, 13-4 second half) took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Luis Peña started the rally with a one-out double. Eric Bitonti drove in Peña with another double. Marco Dinges followed with an RBI single for the 2-0 lead.
Those were Wisconsin’s only runs off Beloit starting pitcher Carson Laws, who struck out eight and walked two over six innings. Those two runs looked like they would be all the Rattlers would need thanks to the gem put up by Torres.
The Rattlers left-hander allowed one hit, walked none, and struck out eight over seven innings. The only other base runner he allowed was on an error he made on a throw to first. That runner was erased on a 4-6-3 double play on the next pitch.
Torres made 77 pitches with 60 strikes. In his last three starts, Torres has three quality starts, allowing two earned runs with two walks and 21 strikeouts in twenty innings.
However, Beloit (38-44, 11-6) rallied in the eighth inning to deny him the win. Jason Woodward gave up a lead-off single and a double to put the tying runs in scoring position. Wilson Weber blooped a single to right to score both runners to tie the game.
Woodward got the next two outs but had to leave the game when Carter Johnson lined a single off Woodward’s neck to put runners at the corners. José Meneses had to come in from the bullpen to get the final out and he got it when Dillon Head lined out to center.
Wisconsin took the lead and appeared to but the game away with a four-run bottom of the eighth.
Yannic Walter started the rally with a double to the corner in left against Beloit reliever Justin Storm. Braylon Payne singled to center to score Walther with the go-ahead run. Payne stole second and was still there with two outs. Dinges came through with another RBI single for a 4-2 lead and to chase Storm.
Daniel Dickinson greeted Juan Reynoso to the mound with his fourth home run of the season. This homer gave the Rattlers a 6-2 lead and brought them within three outs of a two-game lead in the division over the Sky Carp. It was not as easy as that.
Meneses walked the first three batters he faced to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate. He got the first out with a strikeout. Then, Weber reached on an infield single to knock in his third run of the game. Cam Clayton’s popup to right dropped for a single to score another run. Suddenly, the Sky Carp were only down two runs with the bases still loaded on only one out.
Head hit a grounder up the middle that Meneses somehow stopped between his legs. The ball got away from him and rolled back towards the plate. He was able to get to the ball and throw to the plate to get the force play for the second out.
The final out came on a called third strike to Johnson to send the Rattlers to the win.
Dickinson has homered in two straight games and give Wisconsin 106 homers this season. The franchise record for home runs in a season is 117 by the 2021 squad.
Wisconsin has hit a new high-water mark on the season at fifteen games over .500.
Game four of the series is Friday night at Neuroscience Group Field. Jayden Dubanewicz (2-1, 2.95) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Joey Volini (0-1, 4.50) is set to start for the Sky Carp. Game time is 6:40pm.
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