On Saturday night at ABC Supply Stadium in Beloit, Wisconsin, the Beloit Sky Carp turned in a commanding 5-0 victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The win was anchored by a two‑hit, five‑inning shutout from left‑hander Julio Mendez, who matched his career high with eleven strikeouts.
Pitching dominates
Mendez allowed just two hits, walked three batters and hit one, while fanning eleven Rattlers over seven innings. His performance tied the professional single‑game high for strikeouts by a Beloit pitcher. Reliever Jarrette Bonet continued the dominance, retiring the first eleven Sky Carp batters he faced before surrendering a two‑out single in the eighth. Bonet finished with three strikeouts and no walks over four shutout frames.
Offensive burst in the fourth
The only scoring came in the bottom of the fourth inning. After Wisconsin starter Daniel Corniel issued two walks with one out, Sky Carp starter Cam Clayton singled to center, driving in the runner from second. A groundout followed, leaving runners at second and third. Then Esmil Valencia delivered a hard‑hit grounder to short that rolled into the left‑center gap for a two‑run double. Brian Sanchez capped the rally with a two‑run home run, giving Beloit a 5‑0 lead that would hold for the rest of the game.
Rattlers struggle to answer
Wisconsin’s offense was limited to a single hit, a one‑out single by Tayden Hall in the sixth inning. Brady Ebel reached base three times via a single, a walk and a hit‑by‑pitch, while Tyler Rodriguez drew three walks. Despite those opportunities, the Rattlers could not generate any runs.
Late‑game bullpen work
In the eighth inning, Hayden Cuthbertson took over for Mendez, navigating a one‑out walk before loading the bases with three straight walks in the ninth. Beloit closer Peyton Fosher entered to finish the game, inducing a game‑ending 4‑3 double play that sealed the shutout.
Looking ahead
The season finale for both clubs is set for Sunday afternoon at the same venue. Wisconsin will start Ethan Dorchies (5‑10, 5.20 ERA) while Beloit is expected to give the ball to Jesus Rios (5‑7, 6.31 ERA). The game is scheduled for a 1:05 p.m. start.
This victory gives the Sky Carp a solid finish to a season that saw them improve to 66‑64 overall and 39‑26 in the second half of play, while the Timber Rattlers fall to 67‑59 overall and 33‑31 in the league.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
