DAVENPORT, IOWA (May 13, 2021) — After combining for 17 runs on Tuesday, Quad Cities and Cedar Rapids treated fans to a classic pitcher’s duel on Wednesday, May 12, which saw the River Bandits secure their fifth straight win in a 2-1 final at Modern Woodmen Park.
With Quad Cities’ starter, Asa Lacy, struggling to find the zone in the first, Cedar Rapids jumped on the board first when Spencer Steer caught the lefty napping and stole home with two outs to give his team a 1-0 lead. However, it was the only run the visitors would muster as the River Bandits’ bullpen would lock the door through the next eight innings.
In his second start of the season, Blayne Enlow kept his team in the game throughout the entirety of his five-inning showing, despite surrendering a solo home-run to Eric Cole, his first of the year, that tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth.
Drew Parrish took over for Quad Cities early as Lacy failed to make it through two full innings and walked six in 57 pitches. The Florida State product picked up right where he left off in his previous appearance and tossed 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball, allowed just four baserunners, and punched out five.
Now facing Melvi Acosta, the River Bandits claimed the 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh thanks to the righthander’s wild pitch, which allowed Seuly Matias to score from third.
Jonah Dipoto was tasked with the final two frames for Quad Cities and rewarded manager, Chris Widger with his third scoreless outing of the season as the righthander nullified Trey Cabbage’s leadoff walk and Michael Helman’s single by catching Matt Wallner looking to secure the game and his first save of the season.
Drew Parrish (1-0) earned his first win of the year in another long relief effort, while the loss went to Acosta whose wild pitch proved to be the difference.
Quad Cities will look to make it six consecutive victories behind Nolan Watson (1-0, 7.36) on Thursday, as he will countered by Cedar Rapids’, Tyler Watson (0-0, 0.00) at 6:30PM CDT.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: The 2021 season marks the River Bandits’ first year as a new Advanced-A major-league affiliate. As such, the team will be offering higher-quality baseball than has ever before been played in the Quad Cities. Additionally, the Bandits will welcome a new MLB affiliate to the Quad Cities, the Kansas City Royals. The River Bandits anchor the Quad Cities sports-market, which The Sports Business Journal named the top minor-league sports-market in the country in 2015 and second-best minor-league market in its 2017 follow-up ranking. In 2015, 2017, and again in 2019, the River Bandits earned Ballpark Digest’s award for “Best Charitable Works” in Minor League Baseball, the only club to win that coveted award three times. For more information, visit www.riverbandits.com or contact General Manager Joe Kubly at (563) 333-2768.
