July 14 Game Notes

ABOUT SUNDAY: The Wizards scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Timber Rattlers 2-1. Lance Zawadzki’s two-out RBI single plated the winning run. The Rattlers had just two hits in the game.

NICE DEBUT: Timber Rattler starting pitcher Brett Lorin made his Midwest League debut on Sunday. He scattered four hits and four walks over six shutout innings. Lorin struck out a pair and had a 1-0 lead when he left the game.

NICE DEBUT #2: Rattler reliever Jeff Dunbar also made his Midwest League debut on Sunday. He allowed three hits over two scoreless innings and protected the 1-0 lead.

ONE: The Rattlers scored a run in the top of the third inning without a hit. A walk, a fielder’s choice, and a pair of errors loaded the bases. Edilio Colina drove in the run with a grounder to first.

ONE OF TWO: Ron Garth doubled in the sixth inning to extend his current hitting streak to six games. Garth is 10-for-25 (.400) during the streak.

HIGH WIRE ACT: Fort Wayne had a runner on base in every inning except the second inning. After the Timber Rattlers took the lead in the top of the third, the Wizards had the tying run in scoring position in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings before cashing in the two runs in the ninth.

A SPOT OF TROUBLE: Dunbar allowed a lead off double to Anthony Contreras in the seventh. A grounder moved Contreras to third. The Wizard runner tried to score on a pitch that got away from Rattler catcher Blake Ochoa, but he was out with Dunbar covering the plate.

PREVIOUSLY: Harmon was 5-for-5 in ninth inning save opportunities before yesterday. He had allowed two hits, no runs, and had walked one in five innings over those opportunities. Yesterday, Harmon allowed a hit and three walks over 1/3 of an inning.

WINNING RALLY: Harmon walked Danny Payne with the bases loaded to tie the game. Jose Escalona entered in relief of Harmon and got the second out. But, Zawadzki dropped a single into right to drive in the winning run.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Yesterday was the first time this season the Rattlers lost a game that they led going into the eighth. Wisconsin is 18-1 in that situation. It was also the first time the Rattler lost a game that they led heading into the ninth inning. Wisconsin is 24-1 in that situation.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Fort Wayne Wizards are the Midwest League affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They finished the first half with a record of 37-33 and missed the playoffs. In the second half, Fort Wayne is 9-15. They are tied for fifth place in the Eastern Division and trail South Bend by six games for the top playoff spot. They trail Dayton by four games for the Wild Card. Fort Wayne is 28-21 at home this season.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .238 as a team and have scored 325 runs (3.7/game). Wisconsin has hit 34 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.88. Fort Wayne is hitting .255 as a team and has scored 428 runs (4.6/game). The Wizards have hit 51 home runs this season. The Fort Wayne pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.01.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Wizards lead the series 3-2. In the first half, the Wizards took two of three games on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Fort Wayne won the first two games in Grand Chute (5-1 on April 14 and 5-3 on April 15). The Rattlers won the series finale by a score of 6-2 on April 16.

LAST YEAR IN FORT WAYNE: The Rattlers went 3-1 in four games at Memorial Stadium in 2007.

FORT WAYNE STARTING PITCHER: RH Jeremy Hefner who was the 5th round pick of the Padres in 2007 out of Oral Roberts. Hefner went 9-2 with a 3.03ERA and struck out 107 batters in 86 innings pitched. He made his pro debut with the Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League and was 2-5 with a 3.90ERA in 17 appearances (11 starts). During the 2007 season, Hefner faced Everett, Seattle’s Northwest League affiliate, three times (two starts) in 2007. Hefner went 1-1 in those three games and allowed one earned run over 11.1IP. He struck out 15 AquaSox batters and walked three in those games. He pitched in relief against the Rattlers on April 16 in Grand Chute. Hefner allowed four runs on three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over 2-2/3 innings and took the loss. In his start prior to this evening, Hefner pitched five innings against Beloit on July 9. Hefner gave up three runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts for a no decision.