(WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS) BELOIT, WI – Braylon Payne stands alone. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers centerfielder cracked his 23rd home run of the season on Saturday night at ABC Supply Stadium to set the team’s single season home run record. The homer was not enough for the Timber Rattlers to overcome a 6-0 deficit as they fell 8-5 to the Sky Carp.
Beloit (52-54 overall, 25-16 second half) scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the first. Dillon Head doubled to start the inning. He was still at second with two outs when Cody Schrier doubled to left to knock in Head. Jesús Hernandez followed with an RBI single.
Chase Jaworsky added to the Sky Carp lead with a lead-off home run in the bottom of the second.
Head singled to left with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth to drive in Beloit’s fourth run of the game. Rattlers starting pitcher Ethan Dorchies escaped further damage by getting an inning-ending 3-6-3 double play.
Max Williams hit a lead-off home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, his second homer in as many games for the Sky Carp. Abrahan Ramirez singled with two outs, stole second, and scored on another single by Jaworsky.
Wisconsin (56-46, 22-18) got to Beloit starting pitcher Carson Laws in the sixth inning. The frame started with a single by Payne and a double by Daniel Dickinson. Eric Bitonti hit a deep fly to the wall in center that sent Payne home and got Dickinson to third. Luis Castillo followed with a deep fly to right to score Dickinson.
Tayden Hall and Tyler Rodriguez restarted the rally with back-to-back singles. Juan Baez chased both runners home and Laws from the game with a double to right.
Peyton Fosher took over for Laws to face Luiyin Alastre with a 6-4 lead. Alastre hit a line drive to right that Wilfredo Lara misread but was still able to make a leaping grab for the final out of the inning.
Tanner Perry ran into some tough luck as the Rattler relief pitcher in the bottom of the sixth. A double by Lara and a walk to Head put two on with no outs. There were runners on the corners after a flyout to center allowed Lara to advance to third. Perry picked Head off first for the second out with Williams at the plate. Then, Perry got Williams to hit a grounder to second that was misplayed for an error to let Lara score for a 7-4 lead.
The Rattlers had another chance to get back into the game when Justin Storm walked Castillo and Hall to start the top of the eighth. The left-handed reliever stopped the rally cold by getting Rodriguez to ground into a 5-4-3 double play. Baez was next, and his grounder up the middle never had a chance to get through with Jaworsky stationed right where the ball was hit to turn it into an inning-ending ground out.
Head singled against José Menese in the Beloit eighth, the fourth time he had reached base in the game. Williams added an RBI double with two outs to make it 8-4. Beloit scored five of their eight runs after two outs in Saturday’s game.
Payne stepped in to face Storm with two outs in the top of the ninth. The 19-year-old Milwaukee Brewers prospect lined his historic home run over the wall in left-center to set the franchise record. He had entered the game in a four-way tie with Khris Davis, Victor Roache, and Clint Coulter. Payne turns twenty on August 14.
A few other Appleton Professional Baseball home run marks for Payne to make a run at this season with 25 remaining on the schedule: Lamar Johnson, who had 26 with the 1972 Appleton Foxes for the franchise’s Midwest League Record; Carlos Pascual, who hit 27 for the Fox Cities Foxes in 1958 when the team played in Class B Three-I League as an affiliate of the Washington Senators; and Pat Seerey; who hit 31 homers for the 1941 Appleton Papermakers in the Class D Wisconsin State League as an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.
The loss drops Wisconsin back to 2-1/2 games behind Beloit for the second half West Division playoff spot in the Midwest League. Additionally, the Quad Cities River Bandits held on for a 7-6 win over the Peoria Chiefs on Saturday night. The River Bandits remain 1-1/2 games back of Beloit for the right to play the South Bend Cubs, who won the first half division title, in the Western Division Finals.
The series finale is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at ABC Supply Stadium. Daniel Corniel (0-3, 4.68) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Julio Mendez (1-0, 5.40) has been named the starter for the Sky Carp. Game time is 1:05pm.
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