Game Notes -- 7/1

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Quad Cities beat the Timber Rattlers 4-3. Swing starter Tyler Herron struck out a career high ten and allowed one run on three hits over six innings for his eighth consecutive win. Chris Grossman drove in a pair of runs for Quad Cities. Swing closer Kenny Maiques slammed the door on the Rattlers for his 18th save of the season.

DIEZ FOR DIAZ: Rattler shortstop Juan Diaz singled in the fourth inning to extend his current hitting streak to ten games.

SACRIFICES: Of the seven runs scored last night, four were driven in by sacrifice flies. Grossman knocked in both of his runs with a sac fly – one in the first and one in the fifth. Tim Dorn drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the second inning. Reed Eastley knocked in a Timber Rattler run with a sac fly in the fourth inning.

FIRST START: Eddy Fernandez made his first start for the Rattlers last night. He worked four innings and gave up seven hits. Fernandez did not walk a batter and struck out three. Of the three runs he allowed, two were earned.

UNEARNED: Two Rattler errors led to two unearned runs for the Swing last night. Wisconsin has committed 140 errors that have led to 109 unearned runs for their opponents.

LATE RALLY: The Rattlers trailed 4-1 in the top of the eighth inning. Alex Liddi drew a leadoff walk, but was still standing at first with two outs. Calvin Beamon’s flyball to left was dropped for an error and the Rattlers had runners at second and third. Maiques entered the game and gave up a two-run single to Diaz. In the top of the ninth, Eastley doubled to start the inning. A grounder moved Eastley to third base with one out. But, Maiques got a strikeout and a groundout to finish the Rattlers.

MONTH GONE BY: The Rattlers finished the month of June with a 10-16 record. Diaz led the team in hitting in June. He was 25-for-75 (.333 ). Four Rattlers had two home runs in June to be tied for the team lead in that category. Carlos Peguero had 15 RBI. As a team, Wisconsin hit .234 in June. Opponents outscored the Rattlers 122-106. The team ERA for the Rattlers was 3.78.

OPPOSING STARTER: Brad Furnish was the second round pick of the Cardinals out of Texas Christian University in the 2006 draft. Furnish was 3-6 with a 3.94ERA in 15 starts with 68 strikeouts in 75-1/3 innings pitched for the State College Spikes in the New York-Penn League last season. In his last appearance for the Swing, Furnish allowed three runs on seven hits over three innings against the Clinton LumberKings on June 26. He has faced the Timber Rattlers three times (two starts) this season. Furnish is 1-0 with a 0.66 ERA against Wisconsin. In 13-2/3 innings he has allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits with three walks and 16 strikeouts. Furnish struck out a career high nine batters when he started game two of a double header at Wisconsin on June 5. He pitched four innings in that game and received a no decision.