Olmstead's three-run homer, Barstad's two-run single help Beloit Sky Carp end two-game skid

Will Rudy appeared to be settling in nicely into Friday night’s Midwest League game between his Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Beloit Sky Carp.

He was perfect through two innings with four strikeouts and had been staked to a 1-0 lead after Eduardo Garcia’s RBI single in the first.

But Sky Carp left fielder Jake DeLeo led off the third with a double to right, center fielder Osiris Johnson got hit by a pitch to put two on base.

Two batters later with two out, Beloit shortstop Johnny Olmstead drilled a three-run homer to left field off Rudy, and the Sky Carp pitching staff held Wisconsin at one run for the rest of the night in their 5-1 win over the Timber Rattlers.

Starter Thomas White got the win for Beloit after pitching five innings and giving up the one run on four hits and two walks. He struck out three.

Out of the Beloit bullpen, Josh White threw a scoreless frame, Nigel Belgrave got through the seventh and eighth with two strikeouts and just a single hit allowed, and Xavier Meachem worked the ninth to secure the win.

Sky Carp catcher Cameron Barstad delivered the rest of his team’s runs with a two-run single in the seventh. Barstad and DeLeo both had two hits and a double on the night. DeLeo scored two runs.

The victory broke a short two-game losing skid in which the Sky Carp didn’t score a run. They will have a chance to tie the six-game home-and-home series with the Timber Rattlers in the finale with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Saturday.

BELOIT 5, WISCONSIN 1

Beloit 003 000 300 — 5 6 0

Wisconsin 100 000 000 — 1 5 0

Beloit (ab-r-h-rbi) — Coley, rf, 5-0-0-0; Olmstead, ss, 4-1-1-3; Zamora, 2b, 4-0-0-0; Bullard, 3b, 4-0-1-0, Vradenburg, dh, 3-1-0-0; C. Santiago, 1b, 3-0-0-0; DeLeo, lf, 4-2-2-0, C. Barstad, c, 3-0-2-2; O. Johnson, cf, 3-1-0-0. Totals 33-5-6-5.

Wisconsin (ab-r-h-rbi) — Lara, cf, 4-1-1-0; Areinamo, ss, 4-0-1-0; E. Garcia, 2b, 3-0-1-1; Adams, 3b, 3-0-0-0; Wood, c, 3-0-0-0; F. Valerio, lf, 4-0-0-0; Chirinos, 1b, 3-0-0-0; R. Rodriguez, dh, 3-0-2-0; Vargas, rf, 4-0-0-0. Totals 31-1-5-1.

LOB — B 5, W, 8. SB — C. Santiago (3). CS — E. Garcia (1). 2B — DeLeo (9), C. Barstad (9), R. Rodriguez (12), Areinamo (19). HR — Olmstead (7).

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-k) — B: T. White W, 1-2, 5-4-1-1-2-3; J. White H, 2, 1-0-0-0-1-0; Belgrave 2-1-0-0-0-2; Meachem 1-0-0-0-1-1. W: Rudy L, 2-6, 6 1/3-3-4-4-1-6; Costello 1 2/3-3-1-1-0-3; Y. Rodriguez 1-0-0-0-2-3.

HBP — O. Johnson (by Rudy); E. Garcia (by T. White). WP — Y. Rodriguez. T: 2:25. A: 4,759.