PEORIA, Ill. (June 29, 2014) - The Quad Cities River Bandits exploded in an 11-3 win in Sunday's first game of a doubleheader before falling flat in a 4-2 loss to the Peoria Chiefs in the finale at Dozer Park. Mason Katz drilled a solo home run in each contest for the Chiefs.

James Ramsay led off game one with a single off Peoria (7-3 second half, 44-35 overall) starter Luis Perdomo and stole second before Marc Wik walked. Perdomo struck out Brett Phillips and got Chase McDonald to bounce into a 1-3 fielder's choice, but then Jon Kemmer laced a double down the left field line to score both runners and put Quad Cities (5-5 second half, 40-39 overall) on the board at 2-0. Perdomo (0-1), who allowed six runs, five earned on six hits with four walks and six strikeouts in 4.2 innings, issued a walk to Tyler White and yielded a single to Ronnie Mitchell to bring in Kemmer. Brett Booth then ripped a single to left to plate White to make it 4-0 just before Mitchell was thrown out trying to go to third to end the inning.

Already up 5-1, Quad Cities was able to add to their lead in the fifth. With one out and a runner on second, Kemmer greeted Peoria reliever Robert Stock with a single to score Phillips. After White singled, Mitchell did the same to bring in Kemmer before Booth added another base hit to score White and make it 8-1. Kemmer went 2-for-4 with a career-high three RBIs, one of six Bandits to have multiple hits. White, Mitchell and Booth each finished 2-for-4 while driving in two. Every Quad Cities player in the lineup contributed at least one hit.

Chris Lee (3-5) earned the victory, allowing only a run on three hits without walking a batter in five innings. He struck out four before yielding to Houston Astros right-hander Anthony Bass, who allowed two unearned runs in two innings on two hits with three punchouts.

In game two, the River Bandits once again struck first, using a Jake Rodriguez single in the second off of Peoria starter Kevin Herget to take a 1-0 lead. With the score the same in the fourth, McDonald rocketed a line drive over the wall in left-center for his fifth home run of the season to give Quad Cities the 2-0 advantage.

Katz homered with one out in the bottom half of the fourth to cut the Quad Cities lead in half. The shot was the second baseman's 14th of the year, which ties him at the top of the Midwest League with South Bend's Daniel Palka.

In the fifth, Quad Cities starter Andrew Thurman gave up a leadoff double to Richy Pedroza, who advanced to third on a wild pitch. With the infield in, Thurman (4-5), who surrendered three runs on six hits with a walk and two strikeouts, got Michael Schulze to groundout to second to keep Pedroza at bay. However, the right-hander walked Vaughn Bryan, who stole second and forced the infield to come back. C.J. McElroy, Jr. then hit a groundball to second, which allowed Pedroza to come home to tie the game on the out. Bryan came home when Justin Ringo lined a base hit to center to give the Chiefs the lead they would not relinquish.

Jhnonny Peralta (2-0) earned the win for Peoria in relief, retiring nine of the 11 men he faced. He struck out three, walked one and allowed one hit.

From the third inning on, Kemmer, who was 2-for-2 with a walk in game two, was the only Bandit to reach second base. However, Herget picked him off to end the fourth.

The rubber game of the five-game series comes tomorrow with the River Bandits scheduled to start Jandel Gustave (5-3, 3.94 ERA) against Peoria's Rob Kaminsky (3-1, 1.47).

UP NEXT: Back-to-back fireworks nights kick of the Fourth of July weekend at Modern Woodmen Park. The ballpark will open Thursday, July 3, for the annual Red, White and Boom Fireworks, and the River Bandits will have Fourth of July Fireworks presented by Smart Toyota of the Quad Cities, WLLR and WQAD following the 7 p.m. game on Friday, July 4. Game tickets are available at www.riverbandits.com. To order any of the River Bandits 2014 ticket plans - with new lower prices - call the River Bandits box office at 563-324-3000. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $40. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

Event on July 26-27 will welcome participants from Tee Ball through adult to Modern Woodmen Park

DAVENPORT, Iowa. (June 26, 2014) - The Quad Cities River Bandits are giving fans and people across the Quad Cities region the chance to swing for the fences at Modern Woodmen Park, all to benefit the Bandit Scholars Program. Registration is open for the team's first-ever Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby presented by Modern Woodmen of America and Triumph Community Bank on Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27.

The Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby will include a Minors Division, with participants from Tee Ball through age 17, and a Majors Division, including all ages at a competitive level. The Minors Division event will take place Saturday, July 26, and the Majors Division event will be Sunday, July 27. Participants receive a free River Bandits T-shirt and a ticket to a River Bandits game. Non-participants are welcome to catch balls in the outfield of Modern Woodmen Park during the derby.

"The Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby offers a tremendous opportunity for people in the Quad Cities to enjoy a memorable experience on the field of Modern Woodmen Park," said River Bandits owner Dave Heller. "The best part is all of the proceeds of this unique event will go to the great cause of paying college tuition for Quad Cities area students - perhaps in the future including one of the young participants in this first-ever Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby!"

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. each day, and competition will begin at 9 a.m. each day.

The Minors Division will have three competitions - Single A (players in Tee Ball through levels under age 10), Double A (ages 10 to 12), and Triple A (ages 13 to 17). The top three winners in each division will receive prizes. Registration is $20 per participant, and each hitter can choose to hit baseballs or softballs.

Majors Division will include all ages at a competitive level, hitting softball pitches. The winner will receive $200 cash and a 2015 suite rental as prizes. Registration is $30 per participant and limited to the first 50 who register.

All fans are welcome to catch balls in the outfield during the derby. Non-participants for the home run derby are asked to make a $5 donation to the Bandit Scholars Program.

The Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby registration form is available at Modern Woodmen Park and at www.riverbandits.com. More information is available by contacting Brittany Carter at 563-333-2736 or emailing Brittany@riverbandits.com.

The Bandit Scholars Program was founded in 2009 by the Quad Cities River Bandits' team owners Dave Heller and Bob Herrfeldt; the program pays the entire first year of college tuition for Quad Cities area students through the Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship and the Bandit Scholarship. The Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of the late Keith Lucier, who passed away in 2009. The Bandit Scholars Program and, in particular, the Lucier Scholarship, honors Keith's strong belief in higher education and celebrates his love for sports, learning, charitable endeavors and the Quad Cities community. Lucier graduated from Bettendorf High School and the University of Iowa. He was the River Bandits' Assistant General Manager in 2008.

The scholarships are administered by the non-profit Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, and recipients are selected by a committee made up of Lucier's family, friends, River Bandits' staff, CFGRB volunteers and area community leaders. Awarded annually to a Quad Cities area high school senior, each scholarship includes a summer internship with the River Bandits following the winner's first year of college. Tax-free donations to the scholarship fund can be made through the CFGRB web site.

The scholarships are funded by fan donations and fund-raising efforts by the River Bandits and the team's ownership. Fundraising events include the annual Frost Fest, Bandits Race to Home 5K and Bandit Scholars Home Run Derby, set for July 26-27 this season. Through the partnership with the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, donors can make online, tax-deductible donations to the Bandit Scholars Program by going to www.cfgrb.org. Fans can also visit the Bandit Scholars Program page on the team's website, www.riverbandits.com, and follow a link to the Bandit Scholars page on the Foundation's website. Beginning with the next scholarship application cycle in 2015, students from eight Quad Cities-area counties - Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside Counties of Illinois, and Cedar, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott Counties of Iowa - will be eligible for the scholarships.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits return home for the Fourth of July weekend, beginning with a 7 p.m. game Friday, July 4, to be followed by Fourth of July Fireworks presented by Smart Toyota of the Quad Cities, WLLR and WQAD. Game tickets are available at www.riverbandits.com. To order any of the River Bandits 2014 ticket plans - with new lower prices - call the River Bandits box office at 563-324-3000. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $40. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

Editor's Note: Sunday's game was rained out. No word yet from the River Bandits as to when, or if, Anthony Bass will make his rehab start with the team.

Right-handed reliever will be second major leaguer in as many seasons to pitch rehab with River Bandits

DAVENPORT, Iowa. (June 21, 2014) - For a second consecutive season, the Houston Astros are sending a major league pitcher for a rehab assignment in the Quad Cities. Right-hander Anthony Bass is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with the River Bandits at Modern Woodmen Park Sunday.

Bass's rehab appearance is the first by a major leaguer for the River Bandits since Astros right-hander Josh Fields pitched a pair of two-inning scoreless outings May 10 and May 13 at Modern Woodmen Park during the 2013 season.

"Bringing major league rehabs to the Quad Cities has been a long time goal of the Bandits, and we are delighted to be getting our second MLB rehab in the past 14 months," said team owner Dave Heller. "Quad Cities fans deserve to be seeing major league talent in our beautiful ballpark, and we will continue to work to bring more major league players to this great community."

Bass, 26, is 1-0 with two saves and a 4.50 ERA in 15 appearances, totaling 18 innings, for Houston this season. When he was placed on the disabled list May 14 (backdated to May 11) with a right intercostal strain, Bass led the Astros with four holds, and he had allowed just a .239 opponent's batting average. Bass has made 90 career Major League appearances with San Diego (2011-13) and Houston (2014). He was acquired by the Astros from the Padres along with cash considerations for a player to be named later (left-hander Patrick Schuster) on Dec. 11, 2013.

Scholars Program to pay first years of tuition for two at University of Iowa, one at Western Illinois University

DAVENPORT, Iowa. (June 15, 2014) - The Quad Cities River Bandits awarded their annual scholarships at their game Sunday afternoon, announcing three winners for the first time in the history of the Bandit Scholars Program. River Bandits owners Dave Heller and Bob Herrfeldt, along with Jennifer Lucier, announced Bryce Allison as the winner of the Bandit Scholarship, Nidia Villalpando as the winner of a second Bandit Scholarship for the University of Iowa, and Jordan Raso as the winner of the Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship.

Allison, an East Moline native and United Township High School graduate, will attend both Black Hawk College and Western Illinois University through their Linkages Program. Villalpando, a Rock Island native and Rock Island High School graduate, and Raso, a Davenport native and Bettendorf High School graduate, are entering the University of Iowa. Each scholarship ensures the students' first year of tuition will be covered at no expense to them or their families.

"Giving out these scholarships is the single most enjoyable thing I do as owner of the River Bandits, and I am so proud, on behalf of the organization and the Quad Cities community, to present these scholarships to a record three very-deserving recipients," said team owner Dave Heller. "Bryce, Nidia and Jordan have demonstrated incredible talent, hard work, dedication and a passion for community service, and I am confident they will be outstanding representatives of our Bandit Scholars Program and the Quad Cities in their immensely promising futures."

The Bandit Scholars Program was founded in 2009 by the Quad Cities River Bandits' team owners Dave Heller and Bob Herrfeldt; the program pays the entire first year of college tuition for Quad Cities area students through the Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship and the Bandit Scholarship. The Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of the late Keith Lucier, who passed away in 2009. The Bandit Scholars Program and, in particular, the Lucier Scholarship, honors Keith's strong belief in higher education and celebrates his love for sports, learning, charitable endeavors and the Quad Cities community. Lucier graduated from Bettendorf High School and the University of Iowa. He was the River Bandits' Assistant General Manager in 2008.

The scholarships are administered by the non-profit Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, and recipients are selected by a committee made up of Lucier's family, friends, River Bandits' staff, CFGRB volunteers and area community leaders. Awarded annually to a Quad Cities area high school senior, each scholarship includes a summer internship with the River Bandits following the winner's first year of college. Tax-free donations to the scholarship fund can be made through the CFGRB web site.

"I am honored to have been selected by the scholarship committee to be part of history within the Bandit Scholars Program," Allison said. "This scholarship will help both me and my family as I continue my education."

Allison hopes to pursue an accounting degree, attending both Black Hawk College and Western Illinois University. He has been involved in National Honor Society, baseball, golf, Link Crew, the Living Lands and Waters XStream Cleanup and Million Trees Project, the River Bandits Fan Club, and the John Deere Classic, among other activities with local organizations.

"This scholarship represents a great honor, and I am grateful to receive it and represent my family," Villalpando said. "This scholarship also demonstrates the hard work required to exceed expectations, and a reminder of what will be necessary to achieve my future goals."

Villalpando hopes to pursue a pre-medical curriculum and biology degree to become a pediatrician. In high school, she has been involved with Student Ambassadors, Student Council, National Honor Society, Key Club, the Spanish and French Clubs, varsity cheerleading, softball, the Quad City Minority Program Partnernship, Trinity Health Academy, and Mini-Medical Academy, while also working at McDonald's as a crew trainer and hospitality ambassador.

"I have enjoyed coming to River Bandits games for years, and it is a thrill to have the River Bandits be part of supporting my future," Raso said. "I am excited to begin paying this forward, applying what I learn, and bringing the benefits of my education back to the Quad Cities."

Raso hopes to pursue a double degree in Business Management and Mass Communication and Journalism. In high school, she has been involved in Raising Student Voice and Participation, the student newspaper and yearbook, drama club, Thespian Society, choir, and National Honor Society, and she volunteered in several school and community projects, performances and events.