Wisconsin Scores Seven Times Across First Two Innings, Tops Kernels 11-6

Appleton, WI – After losses in the first two games of the series, Wisconsin scored three times in the bottom of the first inning and four times in the second to open up a 7-0 lead it would never lose in an 11-6 win over Cedar Rapids Thursday night.

After scoring in the first two first innings of the series, the Cedar Rapids offense went down scoreless in the top of the first on Thursday. That opened the door for Wisconsin to strike first in the last half of the first inning, and the Timber Rattlers took advantage. Back-to-back singles by Eric Brown and Robert Moore opened the frame for Wisconsin, and with the two on the corners, a double steal of second and home scored the game's first run to make it 1-0. After Moore was thrown out, trying to steal third, a walk and a single put two more runners on for Matt Wood, who produced a two-run single to lift the Timber Rattlers ahead 3-0.

In the second, Wisconsin continued its hot start. A single, walk and hit-by-pitch loaded the base for Moore, who produced an RBI with a ground out. With two still on base, Brock Wilken then smashed a two-run triple off the wall in center, and the next batter, Hendry Mendez, scored him with a single to make it a 7-0 game after two innings.

Down by seven, the Kernels started to rally back in the third. Misael Urbina walked to begin the inning, and the next batter Jeferson Morales, cut the Wisconsin lead to six with an RBI double.

In the fourth, a Jorel Ortega walk and a Noah Cardenas single put two on base for Luke Keaschall, who scored the Kernels' second run with an RBI single.

In the fifth, a Noah Miller single and an Emmanuel Rodriguez walk put two on for Kala’i Rosario, who crushed a three-run home run, his 21st of the season, off the scoreboard in left-center field to bring the Kernels right back in the game with a 7-5 score.

But the Timber Rattlers made sure that was the closest the Kernels would get. In the bottom of the fifth inning, a walk and a single put two runners on again for Wood, who added his third RBI of the night with a single to make it 8-5. With runners now on the corners and no one out, a double play scored a second Wisconsin run in the inning to extend the lead to 9-5.

In the seventh inning, Mendez led off the inning for Wisconsin with a triple, then the next batter, Wilken picked up his second RBI extra-base hit of the night with a double to open the lead to 10-5, and two batters later, a Darrien Miller RBI single scored Wilken to make it 11-5.

Cedar Rapids got a run back in the top of the eighth when Rodriguez notched a bases-loaded walk, but after a strikeout, the Kernels left the bases full in their final run-scoring opportunity as Wisconsin grabbed game three of the series 11-6.

The win for the Timber Rattlers (59-68) is the first in the series over Cedar Rapids (82-47) after the Kernels took the first two games of the set. Game four of the series is Friday at 6:40 with Zebby Matthews on the mound opposite Alexander Cornielle.