Former University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball player Chad Pierce will be on the mound tonight when the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers face the Burlington Bees with the season on the line in the Midwest League Western Division Quarterfinals.

The Timber Rattlers lost the opener, 4-0, in the best-of-three first round playoff series.

"It's a big game," Pierce said. "You always dream about pitching with the season on the line and this one is. It's do or die - I have to go out and compete like it's any other game, only with more meaning on this one. I need to keep everything in check and do what I've been doing all year."

Pierce was a part of the starting rotation the second half of the campaign, ending the regular season with a 7-5 record in 27 games, making 12 starts. He posted a 3.47 ERA and recorded a team-high 115 strikeouts in 124.2 innings, limiting opponents to a .239 betting average.

The game will be shown live on Time Warner Cable Sports 32, with a first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. this evening.

Update from timberrattlers.com:

Chad Pierce tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout to lead Wisconsin past the Burlington Bees 4-0 at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Rattlers offense scored four runs in the first two innings and Pierce took over from there.

Wisconsin evened the best-of-three series with the Bees at 1-1 with the victory. The Rattlers and Bees will meet in Game Three on Friday night at 6:35pm. The winner will move on to the Western Division Finals. The loser will be done for the 2012 season.

Pierce cruised through the game. The only time he faced a batter with a runner in scoring position was in the second inning. He retired Royce Consigli on a fly ball to center with runners on the corners and two outs.