The Rattlers came into Legends Field on Saturday morning fired up and ready to go as they were scheduled to play the Sports Yard Dirt Bags and Tri-Town All Stars.
The first game was at 8am vs. the Dirt Bags.
Cicero started strong right off the bat, bringing in 6 runs in the first inning. Hits came from Walker, Bertollini, Rumpel and Capp. Runs were scored by Walker, Thelen, Bertollini, Filighera, Rumpel and Capp.
Cicero gave up what would be the only run of the day for the Dirt Bags in the first inning. Starting pitcher for the Rattlers was KJ Cochran. He gave up one run on 1 hit and 1 walk with 2 strike outs.
The Rattlers scored another 4 runs in the second inning. Hits came from Capece, Thelen, Bertollini, Rumpel and Capp. Bertollini notched a 3-run home run in this inning, sending a ball deep over the center field fence. Runs were scored by Capece, Thelen, Bertollini and Filighera. The Dirt Bags were held scoreless in the inning.
Cicero brought in another 7 runs in the 3rd inning to make the score 17-1 in their favor. Hits came from Capece, Thelen, Bertollini and Filighera. Runs were scored by Capece, Thelen, Bertollini, Filighera, Runpel, Capp and Bombard.
Ethan Matthews pitched the final 2 innings for the Rattlers. He gave up zero runs as the game ended with a final score of 17-1, Rattlers.
In game 2 on this day, the Rattlers met up with the Tri-Town All Stars.
Tri-Town struck first with a run in the first inning and another in the 2nd inning with Ethan Matthews on the mound. Cicero brought in 1 run in the first inning with hits from Thelen and Bertollini, with Thelen scoring. The score after 2 innings was 2-1, Tri-Town.
Cicero came out strong in the 3rd inning, scoring 3 runs to go ahead 4-2. Hits came from Filighera, Thelen, Bertollini and Rumpel. Runs were scored by Filighera, Thelen and Bombard.
Griff Filighera toed the rubber for the Rattlers in the 3rd and 4th innings, holding Tri-Town scoreless. Lucas Thelen took over in the 5th inning to finish on the mound. The Rattlers held the lead until the closing moments of the game, when Tri-Town treated their fans to a 3-run, go-ahead home run.
With the score 5-4, Tri-Town, the Rattlers had a shot as a Daniel Capp single put the tying run on first base. Unfortunately for Cicero, Tri-Town held on for the win.
On the day, the Rattlers notched 21 runs while giving up ony 6.
They are now scheduled for rematch with Tri-Town at 8am on Sunday, with the winner advancing to the next game in the playoffs to face the Tri-City Bombers or the Syracuse Warriors.
Tourney Stats