ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers opened the 2009 season with a 2-1 win. Wisconsin scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the eighth to rally for the win.
K-MEN: Cody Scarpetta and Efrain Nieves were two of the four Timber Rattler pitchers in last night’s game. Scarpetta struck out eight batters in four innings and Nieves struck out six Bandit hitters in three innings.
TWO LEADS TO ONE: Scarpetta allowed just two hits, but they led to the only run of the game for Quad Cities. Aaron Luna doubled with one out in the top of the third inning. Paul Cruz singled to drive Luna for the 1-0 lead.
RALLY BACK: The Rattlers eighth inning started as Brett Lawrie reached on an error by third baseman Domnit Bolivar. A sacrifice bunt moved Lawrie to third base, but he was still there with two outs. An infield single by Mike Vass sent in Lawrie with the tying run.
WINNING RUN: After a walk to John Delaney, Juan Sanchez pinch ran for Vass at second base. Sean McCraw stepped up and grounded a 3-2 pitch between the legs of Bolivar. Sanchez scored without a play and Wisconsin had the 2-1 lead.
THE CLOSER: Jim Henderson worked around a one out walk and a two out single to earn the save and put a game in the win column for the Rattlers to start the season.
GOOD EYE: Delaney walked three times last night.
GOOD GLOVE: The Rattlers did not commit an error last night.
GOOD CROWD: Last night’s attendance of 5,487 set a record for an Opening Day crowd in Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The previous record had been 3,474 for the opening day of the stadium in 1995.
LAWRIE WATCH: Timber Rattler second baseman Brett Lawrie made his professional debut last night. He went 0-for-4, was part of two double plays turned by the Rattler defense, and scored the first run by a Rattler in the new era as a Milwaukee affiliate.
FUN FACT #1: The April attendance for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 2008 was 11,672. That was the total for 10 openings to make the average attendance in April ’08 1,167.
FUN FACT #2: The largest home crowd for the Timber Rattlers in April of last season was 2,241. That was for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader against the Beloit Snappers.
QUAD CITIES STARTING PITCHER: RH Scott McGregor was the 15th round selection of the Cardinals in the 2008 draft out of the University of Memphis. McGregor pitched at three levels of the St. Louis minor league system after signing. He started in the Gulf Coast League, moved to Johnson City in the Appalachian League, and finished the season with the River Bandits. McGregor went 4-0 in seven games (three starts) for Johnson City and allowed just one earned run over 27 innings. McGregor pitched three games for the Bandits last season, including three innings of relief against Wisconsin on September 1. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits over three innings of relief.
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