GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers made their final home game of 2026 one of their most memorable of the season. The Rattlers rallied from an 8-4 deficit to defeat the South Bend Cubs 11-10 on Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field in front of 6,396 fans.
The Cubs (72-50 overall, 33-27 second half) got on the board first with a run. Josiah Hartshorn had a sacrifice fly to knock in a runner from third.
Wisconsin (65-56, 31-28) responded immediately in the bottom of the third. Luis Lameda singled and Edgardo Ordόñez homered to the party deck in right-center for a 2-0 lead. The home run was the first by Ordόñez since June 11, 2025.
South Bend went in front again in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run by Logan Poteet.
Jarrette Bonet, the Wisconsin starting pitcher who was making his Midwest League debut, left after five innings. He allowed three runs on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
The Cubs added to their lead in the sixth inning against Yerlin Rodriguez. Alexey Lumpuy drove in the first run with a single. A two-out walk by Rodriguez loaded the bases. Leonel Rodriguez singled to left to score another run. Fortunately for Wisconsin, Tyler Rodriguez was able to throw out Lumpuy at the plate for the final out of the inning.
The Rattlers climbed back to within a run in the bottom of the sixth without a hit. Cubs reliever Luke Alwood walked three straight Rattlers to load the bases with no outs. Lameda knocked in a run with a groundout. Ordόñez made it 5-4 with a sacrifice fly.
Jacob Quezada, Wisconsin’s third pitcher of the game, had runners at second and third with two outs in the top of the seventh. He walked Poteet on a 3-2 pitch to extend the inning. Lumpuy made Quezada and the Rattlers pay for that walk when he lined a triple to the corner in right to score all three runners for an 8-4 lead.
Eric Bitonti and Luis Castillo got the Rattlers back into the game after the stretch. Bitonti doubled with one out. Castillo followed with a long home run to right. Castillo’s nineteenth home run of the season brought he Rattlers to within two runs.
The Timber Rattlers made their move in the eighth inning and got a little help from the Cubs on an error that opened the door for the comeback.
Lameda singled to start the inning, the sixth time in eight innings on Sunday Wisconsin put the lead-off runner on base.
There was one out when Sawyer Strosnider hit a ground ball back to the mound. Cubs pitcher Ethan Bell fielded the ball cleanly but threw wildly to second base. Instead of an inning ending double play, Wisconsin had runners at first and third with Bell leaving the game in favor of JP Wheat.
Danie Dickinson singled to score Lameda and pull the Rattlers to within a run.
Bitonti was next and he drilled a double off the fence in front of the Wisconsin bullpen to drive in two runs for a 9-8 lead.
Then, Castillo ripped a double to right to score Bitonti.
Tyler Rodriguez capped the inning with a double off the wall in center with two outs to plate Castillo for an 11-8 advantage.
Michael Fowler took over for the top of the ninth. He retired the first two batters before giving up back-to-back homers by Poteet and Lumpuy that let the Cubs get to within 11-10. Fowler got the final out for his fourth save of the season.
Lumpuy drove in five runs, and Poteet had three RBI to lead the Cubs offense.
Seven Timber Rattlers hitters had two hits in the game. They had seven doubles out of their fifteen hits. Bitonti drove in two runs to give him 85 on the season. Castillo, who has 84 RBI on the year, and Ordόñez both had three RBI on Sunday.
Wisconsin was officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday. Quad Cities won their game at Beloit to stay 6-1/2 games up on the Timber Rattlers with only six games remaining in the season.
The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday. They return to action on Tuesday night with game one of a six-game series against the Beloit Sky Carp at ABC Supply Stadium to close out the 2026 season. Ethan Dorchies (5-10, 5.28) has been named the starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Game time is 6:05pm. Newstalk 93.9 WOSH and internet audio has the radio broadcast starting with the Community Blood Center Pregame Show at 5:45pm. Bally Sports Live will have the game on their app, too.