Wisconsin Timber Rattlers rack up 16 hits in 11-1 win over Beloit Sky Carp

BELOIT — The old saying goes that when it rains, it pours.

For the Beloit Sky Carp, Monday was more like a hurricane.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers banged out 16 hits, had three different pitchers hold the Sky Carp lineup hitless into the eighth inning and sent Beloit to its sixth straight loss in an 11-1 setback at a cooler and partly sunny ABC Supply Stadium.

“We really just didn’t have it tonight,” Sky Carp manager Billy Gardner Jr. said. “Wisconsin is a tough hitting club, they are all tough outs. One of those nights where you have to flush it and move on.”

The Timber Rattlers are moving in the opposite direction. The Milwaukee Brewers’ High-A affiliate has now won five straight games, and it is looking to repeat as Midwest League West Division champions in the second half of the season after clinching the title, and the playoff berth that comes with it, in the first half.

“We just came out with a lot of energy,” designated hitter/catcher Matthew Wood, the Brewers’ 2022 fourth round pick out of Penn State said. “We didn’t try to do too much. And when you don’t try to do too much, usually good things happen.”

Beloit starter Jacob Miller hadn’t allowed more than three runs in a game since May 14, and his ERA was the best among Sky Carp starters coming into Monday at 2.72.

But Miller ran into trouble straight away in the first inning. After a ground out he allowed singles to Gregory Barrios and Wood before walking Luke Adams. Tayden Hall then sent a one-run single into left field and Eduardo Garcia’s sacrifice fly to center upped it to 2-0.

Mark Manfredi struggled a tad with his control in his start for Wisconsin, walking three while striking out two before being pulled after securing two outs in the second inning. It was the shortest outing of the season for the starter.

But Tyler Wehrle came in and got the final out of the second before pitching a perfect third with two strikeouts.

Then Patricio Aquino, a free-agent signing in January 2021, came in for the Timber Rattlers and dominated.

Aquino’s first time through the order was perfect, throwing a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, fifth and sixth. He allowed a leadoff walk in the seventh to Jorge Caballero but Carlos Santiago hit into a double play an out later.

Sam Praytor’s hard hit single down the right-field line to start the eighth ended the no-hit bid.

“They’ve been doing what they do all year and were executing really well tonight,” Wood said. “They had some jams too, so it wasn’t like it was really easy. To watch them kind of compete the entire game through the ups and downs is cool.”

Cameron Barstad reached on a fielding error following Praytor’s single, and Mark Coley grounded into a forceout an out later to put Beloit on the board.

WISCONSIN 11, BELOIT 1

Wisconsin 203 500 100 — 11 16 1

Beloit 000 000 010 — 1 2 0

Wisconsin (ab-r-h-rbi) — Lara, cf, 6-1-1-0, Barrios, ss, 5-3-4-1, Wood, dh, 4-2-3-1, Adams, 3b, 4-1-1-4, Hall, 1b, 5-1-2-2, Garcia, 2b, 3-1-1-1, Valerio, lf, 5-0-0-0, Rodriguez, x, 4-1-2-1, Fernadnez, rf, 4-1-2-0. Totals: 40-11-16-10.

Beloit (ab-r-h-rbi) — Coley, rf, 4-0-0-1, Olsmtead, ss, 2-0-0-0, Zamora, 2b, 4-0-0-0, Caballero, lf, 2-0-1-0, Bullard, 3b, 2-0-0-0, Santiago, 1b, 4-0-0-0, Praytor, dh, 4-1-1-0, Barstad, c, 4-0-0-0, Johnson, cf, 3-0-0-0. Totals: 29-1-2-1.

E: Garcia. DP: Wisconsin 1, Beloit 1. LOB: Wisconsin 8, Beloit 7. SB: Barrios (16). CS: Fernandez. HR: Adams (7). SF: Garcia.

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) — W: Manfredi 1 2/3-0-0-0-3-2, Wehrle 1 1/3-0-0-0-0-2, Aquino W, 3-3, 6-2-1-0-2-6. B: Miller L, 3-4, 3-10-10-10-3-1, Sanchez 2-1-0-0-0-0, Jimenez 2-2-1-1-2-2, Meachem 2-3-0-0-0-3.

WP: Manfredi, Sanchez, Jimenez. HBP: Bullard (by Aquino). T: 2:47. Att: 1,425.