DAVENPORT, Iowa (April 5, 2014) - The Quad Cities River Bandits rallied for a dramatic 2-1, walk-off win in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader, but the Kane County Cougars turned aside similar threats in Game 2 for a 5-4, 10-inning triumph that split the twin bill in front of 1,587 at Modern Woodmen Park.
In Game 1, the Cougars (2-1) rode a stellar outing by right-hander Tyler Skulina to within three outs of a win. Skulina gave up two hits and a walk to face two batters over the minimum in six shutout innings. Kane County put Skulina in line for a win by notching a fourth-inning run against River Bandits left-hander Kent Emanuel. Cougars first baseman Jacob Rogers lined a two-out RBI single to left-center field that scored second baseman Daniel Lockhart, who had reached when third baseman Tyler White dropped an infield popup.
With a 1-0 lead, Cougars right-hander Zack Godley (0-1) began the seventh inning. Quad Cities shortstop Jack Mayfield led off with a hit off the top of the left-field wall that placed him at second base after the umpires conferred to overturn an initial home run call. But catcher Ben Carhart allowed a passed ball, and Godley's one-out wild pitch brought in Mayfield for the tie. First baseman Chase McDonald drew a walk and yielded to pinch runner Chan-Jong Moon. Catcher Brian Holberton followed with walk, and right-hander Tyler Bremer came in to throw a wild pitch that moved the runners ahead. White grounded a single past Cougars third baseman David Bote for the game-winner. River Bandits right-hander Jandel Gustave (1-0) pitched three hitless innings to earn the win in Game 1.
In Game 2, Cougars center fielder Jake Hannemann smacked a leadoff home run against right-hander Michael Feliz, who also allowed a leadoff home run in the second inning to Cougars designated hitter Danny Canela. Feliz allowed three hits and two earned runs while walking one and striking out four in a three-inning Midwest League debut.
Quad Cities (1-2) managed only one run in the first five innings against Cougars right-hander Daury Torrez. Center fielder James Ramsay hit a third-inning sacrifice fly to make it 2-1, but the Cougars added right fielder Yasiel's Balaguert's two-run single against left-hander Evan Grills in the fifth for a 4-1 lead.
The River Bandits rallied in the sixth inning against the Cougars bullpen. Left-hander Gerardo Concepcion allowed singles to right fielder Jon Kemmer and third baseman Austin Elkins, and then walked two batters around a run-scoring balk. With a 4-2 lead, right-hander Jose Arias entered a bases-loaded jam and allowed two-run, game-tying single by Mayfield.
The score remained 4-4 thanks to Arias and right-hander Justin Amlung (1-0) wiggling out of bases-loaded jams in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. The River Bandits left 15 runners on base in Game 2, and they left the winning run in scoring position in the seventh, eighth and ninth. But the Cougars broke through when a 10th-inning error on first baseman Conrad Gregor allowed Hannemann to reach after a strikeout and later score on first baseman Jacob Rogers' two-out RBI single off left-hander Chris Cotton (0-1).
