Lake County wins Midwest League championship with victory over Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers’ season ended Wednesday one victory shy of the Midwest League championship.

The Lake County Captains scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a five-run lead and went on to a 9-4 victory over the Timber Rattlers to claim the league championship at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio.

By winning the final two games of the best-of-3 series after the Timber Rattlers won the opener, the Captains won their second Midwest League championship. Their first title came in 2010, their first year in the Midwest League after moving from the South Atlantic League.

The Timber Rattlers were seeking their second Midwest League pennant after winning the title in 2012.

Lake County went 5-for-6 with runners in scoring position and half of its 12 hits were for extra bases. Wisconsin stranded 10 runners and went 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

Jadher Areinamo had three hits for Wisconsin, including a pair of doubles. Luis Lara added two hits and two RBI, and Matt Wood also had two hits.

Timber Rattlers starting pitcher Will Rudy pitched five innings. He allowed three hits, one run, walked two and struck out five.

Wisconsin took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning. Lara walked with two outs, stole second base and scored on a throwing error on a ball hit by Cooper Pratt.

The Captains tied the game with a run in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run by Jonah Advincula, then broke open the game with five runs in the sixth for a 6-1 lead. Ralphy Velazquez had the big hit with a three-run home run.

The Timber Rattlers rallied with three runs in the top of the eighth inning to make it 6-4. Areinamo led off the inning with a double to right and Yophery Rodriguez followed with a single to center to score Areinamo. Wood followed with a single to send Rodriguez to second base. After two outs, Eduardo Garcia was hit by a pitch and then Lara singled to right field to score Rodriguez and Wood.

Lake County responded with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, including a solo home run by Jake Fox, to lead 9-4.

Captains reliever Shawn Rapp came in to pitch the ninth inning and retired the Timber Rattlers in order, getting Rodriguez to fly out to center field for the final out to clinch the title for the Captains and end Wisconsin’s season.

The Timber Rattlers earned the playoff berth this season by winning the first-half Western Division title. It was their first playoff berth since the 2016 season and the first division title since the first half in 2012.

Wisconsin opens the 2025 season April 4 at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium against the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers fall in Midwest League championship finale