CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had a huge offensive night in a 15-3 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The team had three homers, a triple, three doubles, and cracked fourteen hits for their second consecutive win over the Kernels. Eric Bitonti led the way with two homers while Daniel Dickinson added two doubles and a three-run home run.
There were two outs with none on base in the top of the first inning. Then, Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Cesar Lares hit Luis Castillo and walked both Tayden Hall and Juan Baez. Luiyin Alastre worked the count to 3-2 and sent a slow chopper between the mound and the third base line. Lares fielded the ball, looked to the plate, and decided to throw to first. The throw was wild and down the line in right. All three runners scored for a 3-0 lead.
The Kernels (44-67 overall, 13-34 second half) scored single runs in the first and third innings. J.P. Smith II hit a one-out, solo homer in the first. Quinn McDaniel walked, went to second on a balk, stole third, and scored on an errant throw from catcher Yannic Walther in the third to cut Wisconsin’s lead to one.
Wisconsin (59-49, 25-21) exploded for five runs in the fourth inning to pull away from Cedar Rapids. Luis Lameda started the inning with a triple. Walther lined a single through the drawn-in infield to knock in Lameda for a 4-2 lead.
Dickinson doubled to right against reliever Ross Dunn, the Kernels third pitcher of the game, to get Walther around to third base. Luis Castillo was at the plate with two outs and runners at second and third. Castillo hit a grounder that was fielded by Smith at first. Castillo was able to beat Dunn to the base for a single and he picked up two RBI as both Walther and Dickinson scored.
Later in the inning, Juan Baez had a two-run single for an 8-2 lead.
Wande Torres battled through five innings, allowed two runs on two hits with three walks and five strikeouts on 88 pitches.
Bitonti broke out of a rough stretch in a big way late in the game. The Rattlers designated hitter had been 1-for-16 with nine strikeouts in the series until he launched a towering home run to right to start the Wisconsin sixth inning.
Bitonti came up with two on and one out in the top of the seventh and crushed another homer to right. Bitonti has nineteen homers and 65 RBI this season.
Dickinson provided the final offensive burst for the Rattlers when he hit a three-run home run to center.
Dickinson was 3-for-6 with two doubles, a homer, three runs scored, and three RBI from the leadoff spot in the order.
Daniel Corniel earned the save by tossing four innings out of the Wisconsin bullpen. He allowed one run, walked one, and struck out five for his third save of the season.
The Timber Rattlers matched the most runs they have scored in a game this season. They also scored fifteen in a game at Peoria on May 10.
Despite the big win, Wisconsin lost ground in the second half West Division playoff chase. The Beloit Sky Carp swept a doubleheader at Peoria on Saturday to retake the lead in the division. The Quad Cities River Bandits won the first game of their home doubleheader with the Fort Wayne and rallied to tie the second game 2-2 on a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh. The nightcap in Davenport could not be completed as rain hit the stadium before the top of the eighth could start. That game was suspended and will be picked up Sunday afternoon.
The Sky Carp have a half-game lead on Quad Cities, a 2-1/2 game lead on the Rattlers, and a 4-1/2 game lead on Peoria after the action Saturday. Wisconsin has nineteen games left in the regular season.
The series finale is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Jayden Dubanewicz (2-4, 5.68) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Kolten Smith (0-3, 3.22) is the announced starter for the Kernels. Game time is 1:05pm. Newstalk 93.9 WOSH and internet audio has the radio broadcast starting with the Community Blood Center Pregame Show at 12:45pm