The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers book-ended their offense on Sunday against the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Neuroscience Group Field. Josiah Ragsdale hit a lead-off homer in the first to tie the game 1-1. Eric Bitonti hit a walkoff grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to break a 4-4 tie and lead the Rattlers to an 8-4 victory.
Game Highlights
Cedar Rapids took the lead in the first inning by manufacturing a run. Brandon Winokur singled, stole second, and went to third on a grounder. Caden Kendle hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Winokur.
The Rattlers took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Blayberg Diaz knocked in the go-ahead with an RBI grounder. Ragsdale added to the lead with a two-out, RBI single.
The Kernels nearly tied the game in the top of the third. Winokur was at third and Kendle was at second with two outs. Danny DeAndrade singled to center to score Winokur. Kendle tried to score but was just out at the plate on a strong throw from Braylon Payne to Diaz at the plate to keep the Rattlers up 3-2.
Bitonti broke up a streak of nine straight Rattlers retired with a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth. Daniel Dickinson followed with a double to right-center. Bitonti raced home with the tying run.
Garrett Hodges, who entered in the top of the eighth inning, retired the Kernels in order in the bottom of the ninth to keep the score even.
Nolan Santos got the call from the Cedar Rapids bullpen for the bottom of the ninth. He got the first out but hit Ragsdale and walked Juan Baez to put the winning run on second base. A strikeout got the Kernels within an out of forcing extra innings and a 3-2 count to Marco Dinges got them to within a strike of getting to the tenth. Then, Dinges didn’t chase a 3-2 pitch and took the walk to load the bases and set the stage for Bitonti.
The big left-hander lined a 1-1 pitch from Santos deep to right-center at 112-mph. That line drive was enough to win the game. That line drive just clearing the wall made history as just the fourth walkoff grand slam in Timber Rattlers history, and first since July 12, 2001.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
