River Bandits Lose Control in 4-2 Loss to Cedar Rapids

Davenport, IA — The Quad Cities River Bandits could not overcome a season-high 12 walks issued by their pitching staff as they dropped the series finale 4-2 to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Sunday afternoon.  The teams split the four-game series over three days.

For the 14th time in the first 22 River Bandits games, a team scored in the first inning.  This time it was the Bandits cashing in against Cedar Rapids starter Bryan Sammons.  Jonathan Arauz drew a walk to open the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. Michael Papierski hit a groundball to third that was misplayed by Andrew Bechtold for an error that left runners on the corners with one out.  Another Kernels error, this one by first baseman Ben Rodriguez on Bryan De La Cruz’s roller to first, allowed Arauz to score and gave Quad Cities a 1-0 lead.  Colton Shaver punched a two out single into left to plate another run and make it 2-0.

Cedar Rapids pulled even by scoring single runs in the fourth and sixth innings.  Parker Mushinski loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a hit by pitch to start the Kernels fourth. Jordan Gore drove in a run with a groundball to short.  Trey Cabbage tied the score at 2-2 with an opposite field solo home run off of Tanner Duncan to lead off the sixth.  It was the first home run of the season for Cabbage.

The Kernels took the lead in the seventh without the help of a hit.  Colin McKee walked four of the six hitters he faced, the last base on balls coming to Gore and forcing in a run.  The lead grew to 4-2 when Adam Bleday also walked the first hitter he faced, forcing in another run. 

The River Bandits finished the game with six hits.  De La Cruz and Jake Meyers each had two.  De La Cruz extended his hit streak to 10 games.

Mushinski lasted 4.0 innings and surrendered one run on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks.  Duncan relieved him and worked 2.0 innings, also allowing one run on two hits.  Duncan walked three and fanned a pair. McKee was responsible for the two runs in the seventh with four walks and a pair of strikeouts. Bleday worked 2.1 scoreless innings.  He struck out three, walked two, and allowed one hit.

The River Bandits (10-12) will take Monday off before opening a six-game road trip against the Great Lakes Loons (7-14) in Midland, Michigan on Tuesday night.  First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m. CST.

All River Bandits games are broadcast on 1170 K-BOB and TuneIn Radio.  Home games are also available with video on MiLB.TV. 

River Bandits and Kernels Split Twin Bill on Saturday

Davenport, IA — The Quad Cities River Bandits and Cedar Rapids Kernels split a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Modern Woodmen Park. The Kernels won a low-scoring game by a 2-1 score and the River Bandits bounced back with a 4-1 win in the nightcap in front of 2,089 fans. 

In the opening game, it was Cedar Rapids taking a first inning advantage.  Akil Baddoo’s slow roller to the right side turned into an infield single due to miscommunication between pitcher Luis Garcia and first baseman Colton Shaver.  Baddoo raced all the way to third on an errant pickoff throw from Garcia and immediately scored on a single from Royce Lewis to give the Kernels a 1-0 lead.

The River Bandits did not wait long to bounce back, evening the score in the bottom half. After the first two hitters in the frame were retired, three straight Bandits came up with singles.  Michael Papierski and Bryan De La Cruz were responsible for the first two and then Adrian Tovalin drove in Papierski with the third.

Lewis struck again for Cedar Rapids in the third inning.  After Jordan Gore led off the inning with a single, he was moved into scoring position on a bunt from Baddoo.  Lewis plated Gore with a groundball single up the middle to put Cedar Rapids in front 2-1.

Garcia tossed 5.1 innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits.  He struck out four and walked one.  Cole Watts was the lone reliever to appear in the game as he worked 1.2 scoreless innings on one hit with a walk and a strikeout.

The River Bandits finished with five hits.  Tovalin was responsible for two of them.

In the nightcap, Cedar Rapids was the first team to score again.  With one out in the second inning, Jean Carlos Arias tripled over the head of center fielder Jake Meyers.  After Shane Carrier popped out for the second out, Trey Cabbage dumped a double into shallow right field to plate the first run of the game.

 The River Bandits grabbed their first lead of the day in the bottom of the fourth.  Meyers worked a walk to open the frame by reaching base.  With one out, Corey Julks shot a bullet down the left field line and into the corner for a double, allowing Meyers to score and pulling the Bandits even at 1-1.  De La Cruz, the next hitter, grounded a ball off the glove of the pitcher Melvi Acosta that ricocheted into right field for an RBI single and gave Quad Cities a 2-1 lead.

The cushion increased thanks to a long ball in the fifth.  Gabriel Bracamonte opened the inning with a single into right.  With two outs, Jonathan Arauz yanked a pitch from Carlos Suniaga out of the ballpark to right field for a two-run home run, his first of the year.  The ball bounced into the Mississippi River on one hop.  The blast gave the Bandits a 4-1 advantage.

Cristian Javier, the starter, allowed one run on four hits, while striking out eight.  He walked one. 

Carlos Sanabria earned the save by working 2.0 perfect innings complete with six strikeouts. 

Walk-Off Base on Balls Gives River Bandits Win in 13 Innings

Davenport, IA — In a game full of twists and turns down to the final pitch, the Quad Cities River Bandits emerged with a 6-5 walk-off win in the 13th inning against Cedar Rapids on Friday night at Modern Woodmen Park.  Corey Julks worked a bases loaded walk to force in the winning run and spark a celebration on the field. The 4 hours and 26-minute game was played in front of 2,913 fans.

Cedar Rapids jumped ahead right out of the gate against River Bandits starter Peter Solomon.  Solomon walked the leadoff hitter Akil Baddoo and then allowed a single to right field off the bat of Royce Lewis.  Outfielder Bryan De La Cruz threw out Baddoo trying to advance to third on the play and Lewis advanced to second base.  Alex Kiriloff followed with an RBI single up the middle to make it 1-0.  A walk to Andrew Bechtold put two on base, and with two outs Jose Miranda singled sharply into center field, expanding the lead to 2-0. 

The River Bandits struck back in the fourth inning.  Corey Julks singled through the right side off of Cedar Rapids starter Brusdar Graterol and then moved into scoring position on a wild pitch.  De La Cruz dumped a single into shallow center, leaving men on the corners with one out.  Adrian Tovalin was plunked by a pitch to load the bases.  After Colton Shaver struck out, Cody Bohanek was also hit by a pitch, forcing in a run and reducing the deficit to 2-1.  Gabriel Bracamonte followed with a grounder to third that the diving Alex Kiriloff threw away, allowing two more runs to score and giving the River Bandits a 3-2 lead. 

The Kernels tied the game in the eighth inning on an RBI double from Jean Carlos Arias that drove in Jose Miranda from first base.  After that, the teams traded scoreless innings with the score tied at 3-3 until the 12th inning.  Cedar Rapids took a 5-3 lead in the third extra inning courtesy of RBI singles from Royce Lewis and Alex Kiriloff. 

In the bottom half of the inning, with De La Cruz opening the frame on second base, Tovalin knocked an opposite field 2-run home run to bring the River Bandits back to even on the scoreboard.  The long ball was his second of the year. 

In the bottom of the 13th, Cedar Rapids reliever Jovani Moran walked the first two hitters he faced to load the bases.  After he rebounded to strike out Jonathan Arauz, Moran could not find the zone and issued the decisive free pass to Julks to force in the winning run.

Four River Bandits pitchers combined to strike out a season-high 20 hitters.  Solomon, the starter, worked 5.0 innings and allowed two runs on four hits and a pair of walks, while striking out seven.  Yohan Ramirez followed with 3.1 innings out of the bullpen, during which he surrendered one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts.  Robert Corniel pitched 3.0 innings and gave up two runs, one earned, on three hits, compiling seven strikeouts in the process.  Adam Bleday earned the win with 1.2 scoreless innings complete with two whiffs. 

The River Bandits totaled nine hits.  De La Cruz and Colton Shaver provided two each.  De La Cruz and Tovalin each extended their hitting streaks to seven games.  Tovalin has tallied at least one RBI in five straight contests.

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