GENEVA, ILLINOIS (May 20, 2019) — The Quad Cities River Bandits scored five unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning to emerge with a 7-5 victory over the Kane Cougars at Northwestern Medicine Field on Monday night. Outfielder Marty Costes drove in five runs and gave the Bandits the lead with a bases-loaded triple in the seventh after three Kane County errors opened the door.
Quad Cities (27-13) entered the seventh inning trailing 5-2 with the bottom part of the order coming to the plate. Both Trey Dawson and Alex Holderbach reached on errors to open the frame with two on and nobody out. Following a strike-out by Ross Adolph, Michael Wielansky yanked a single through the left side to load the bases. The first run of the inning came across the plate when Austin Dennis dropped an RBI single into shallow right-field. The next batter, Jeremy Pena, appeared to fly out to shallow center-field for the second out, but catcher’s-interference was called when Pena’s bat was contacted by the mitt of Jose Herrera. The interference allowed everyone to advance a base and pushed another run home. That is when Costes slapped a line-drive into the right-field corner to clear the bases and put the Bandits in front for good 7-5.
Kane County (24-20) had jumped in front 3-0 in the second inning when first-baseman Joe Gilette hit his first home-run of the season off of Bandits starter Luis Garcia. Costes moved the River Bandits within one by slapping a two-run single into right-field in the third inning.
The Cougars widened the gap to three over the next two innings. They made it 4-2 when a throwing-error from Trey Dawson with the bases loaded allowed a run to score in the fourth. In the fifth, Blaze Alexander followed a Buddy Kennedy double with an RBI-single to center for a 5-2 advantage.
Joining Costes with two hits were Dennis, Pena, and Wielansky. Wielansky has reached base safely in all 12 games he has played with the River Bandits.
Garcia went 5.0 innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on four hits. He struck out five while walking a season-high four batters. Cody Deason was brilliant out of the bullpen, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings and collecting a career-high nine strike-outs to pick up his third win.
The River Bandits meet the Cougars for the second game of the series on Tuesday afternoon at 12PM. RHP Brett Daniels (0-3, 2.60) will take the mound for the River Bandits against Kane County’s RHP Matt Tabor (0-0, 0.77).
Quad Cities (R-H-E): 7-8-1
Kane County (R-H-E): 5-6-3
Win: Deason (3-1)
Loss: Hernandez (4-1)
Save:
HR: Quad Cities: None
HR: Kane County: Joe Gilette (1, 2nd inning, 1 on base)
All River Bandits games are broadcast on 1170 K-BOB and TuneIn Radio. Home games are also available with video on MiLB.TV.
