GRAND CHUTE, WI – Wisconsin Timber Rattlers fans were treated to a little history after sitting through a couple of rainy days at Neuroscience Group Field. The Rattlers beat the Great Lakes Loons 5-3 in game one of a doubleheader. The win was the third in a row for the Rattlers. The history belonged to Andrew Fischer.
Great Lakes (33-25) loaded the bases against Wisconsin starting pitcher Ethan Dorchies with two outs in the first on two walks and a hit batsman. Dorchies struck out Anson Aroz, his third K of the inning, to end the threat.
Braylon Payne gave the Timber Rattlers (31-24) the lead in the bottom of the first inning with a two-out single to left to score Fischer.
The Loons had a runner at third with one out in the top of the second when catcher Andrick Nava picked that runner off for the second out and Dorchies picked up his fourth strikeout of the game for the final out.
Dorchies could not escape a bases-loaded, one out jam in the top of the fourth. Samuel Munoz drove in two runs with a single to give the Loons a 2-1 lead. Jose Izzara had a sacrifice fly to a 3-1 advantage.
Wisconsin tied the game with power from an unexpected source. Daniel Guilarte, who had just been activated from the Wisconsin injured list on June 9, was playing in his first Midwest League game since April 24. He stepped to the plate with a runner at second and two outs in the bottom of the fourth and lifted a flyball to right that carried out for a game-tying, two-run home run. That homer was the first for Guilarte since June 1, 2025.
A consistent power source delivered for the Timber Rattlers in the bottom of the fifth. Andrew Fischer put the Rattlers up 5-3 with a two-run homer, his twentieth home run of the season. Fischer is the eighth Timber Rattler hitter to reach at least twenty homers in a season. None have reached twenty as fast as Fischer, who reached that milestone in just 52 games this season.
Tanner Perry took over in relief for Dorchies to start the fifth inning. Perry retired the first six batters he faced but walked two of the first three Loons to hit in the seventh. A force out for the second out and popup for the final out of the game closed out Perry’s first Midwest League win.