(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Cedar Rapids Kernels battled all night long and right down to the wire on Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Timber Rattlers had just enough to escape a bases loaded jam in the ninth and close out an 8-5 victory over the Kernels.
The Timber Rattlers (29-22) scored four times in the first inning. The first three hitters walked against Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Michael Ross. Josh Adamczewski, who had five RBI in Wednesday’s 10-4 win for Wisconsin, gave the Rattlers the lead on Thursday with a two-run single to center.
Adamczewski stole second with Daniel Dickinson at the plate and the move paid dividends almost immediately for the Rattlers. Dickinson sent a drive to left-center, the deepest part of Veterans Memorial Stadium. Yasser Mercedes made a fine running catch near the wall about 405 feet from home plate. Andrew Fischer, the runner at third, tagged and scored easily. Adamczewski tagged from second and never stopped running until he crossed home plate for a two-run sacrifice fly and a 4-0 lead.
The Kernels (26-28) also got on the scoreboard in the first. Wisconsin starting pitcher Josh Knoth walked Brandon Winokur and gave up a two-run home run to Eduardo Tait to bring Cedar Rapids to within two runs two batters into the bottom of the first. Knoth retired the next three batters in order to end the inning.
Adamczewski struck again in the top of the third with a two-run home run to center and a 6-2 lead. Adamczewski has nine homers on the season and nine RBI in his last two games.
Fischer, who had already extended his on-base streak to 23 games with two walks earlier in the game, lined a single to right to drive in Luis Peña in the fifth. Fischer moved his current hitting streak to eight games with that RBI single to make the score 7-2.
Tait hit a lead-off homer in the bottom of the sixth against reliever Jack Seppings. Khadim Diaw followed with a double. He moved to third on a flyout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Quinn McDaniel.
Brandon Winokur got the Kernels to within 7-5 on a two-out, RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh. Seppings got Diaw to end the inning on a high popup as rain started to fall.
The seventh inning could have been much worse for the Rattlers. Danny DeAndrade started the inning with a double to left-center that landed just out of the reach of Adamczewski, who made a diving attempt at a catch after a long run to his left. The next batter sent a flyball to left. Adamczewski had a long run to his right and this time he was able to make the diving catch for the first out.
The rain slackened but the tension tightened in the eighth with several close calls leaving both teams fuming at fate. The drama was ratcheted up even more for the ninth inning.
Eston Stull, the fourth pitcher of the night for the Kernels, walked the first three Rattlers of the ninth. Braylon Payne took a called third strike and was ejected from the game. Peña, in his return to the lineup after leaving Tuesday’s game with illness and sitting out Wednesday, delivered an insurance run for the Rattlers with a sacrifice fly. Another walk to Fischer loaded the bases and brought Adamczewski to the plate.
The Rattlers cleanup batter didn’t have a chance to add to their advantage. Stull threw the ball to the backstop on a 1-1 pitch. Luiyin Alastre, the runner at third tried to score. The ball took a weird carom back to Tait. The Kernels catcher caught the ball, turned, and lunged at Alastre. The call was out and the Rattlers missed on a chance to make it a four-run lead.
Seppings gave up a lead-off single in the ninth. Then, he induced a 5-4-3 double play to get the Rattlers close to victory. But a hit batsman and a walk on a 3-2 pitch ended the night for Seppings, who tossed 73 pitches in 3-2/3 innings.
Chandler Welch entered the game to face Winokur, the potential tying run. Welch walked Winokur on four pitches to load the bases and bring Tait to the plate with the winning run.
Tait hit a line drive to center on a 1-0 pitch. Alastre was playing very deep but was able to race in and over to make the catch for the final out of the game.
Wisconsin has won four straight games, their second four-game winning streak of the season and first since April 21-24.
Game four of the series is set for Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Ethan Dorchies (1-4, 7.30) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Riley Quick (0-1, 4.41) has been named as the starter for the Kernels. Game time is 6:35pm.
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