CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA (August 5, 2021) — The Quad Cities River Bandits picked up their second win of the series in Cedar Rapids, and their sixth consecutive victory overall, as they topped the Kernels 8-5 on Wednesday night at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Nick Loftin notched a lead-off single in the top of the first to extend his hitting-streak to 17 games, but was left stranded by Tyler Watson.

Cedar Rapids got its first runs against Charlie Neuweiler in its first at-bats, when back-to-back doubles by Edouard Julien and Alex Isola, which plated Julien, gave the Kernels a 1-0.

The Bandits responded quickly in their next trip to the plate and after a one-out double by Maikel Garcia, took the lead on Jake Means’ eighth homer of the year, a two-run shot that put the visitors on top by one.

However, after working two-straight ground-outs to start the home half, Neuweiler surrendered a solo home-run to DaShawn Keirsey that knotted the game at 2-2 heading into the third.

The top of the fourth ended up as the final inning for Watson, who allowed a lead-off walk to Seuly Matias and then his second home-run of the game, as Logan Porter regained his team the lead with a two-run blast to make it 4-2, River Bandits.

Three batters later, after Will Hancock was hit by a pitch, Osiris German took over for Cedar Rapids and gave up an RBI single to Tucker Bradley. Then, after walking Loftin, Nathan Eaton’s run-scoring ground-out extended Quad Cities’ lead to 6-2.

After a scoreless fifth that included Neuweiler inducing a 6-4-3 double-play to eliminate a lead-off base-runner, both teams got a pair in the sixth. For the Bandits, it was Michael Massey’s RBI ground-out and an error which led to the tallies, while Yunior Severino’s two-run double finally chased Neuweiler from his fifth start of the season and trimmed the Kernel’s deficit back to 8-4.

Tad Ratliff came in for Chris Widger and got the final two outs of the sixth, but then gave up a solo jack to Max Smith in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Bandits’ lead to 8-5. However, that’d be the end of the scoring on the night as Ratliff finished the frame allowing no further damage.

Ryan Shreeve didn’t allow a man on for Cedar Rapids in two clean innings work for the Kernels, but his offense could muster just one walk and one hit off of Peyton Gray who also worked two shut-out frames and nailed down a Quad Cities victory and his fifth save of the year.

Neuweiler (2-1) earned his second win of the season for Quad Cities, as the starter struck out a season-high eight in his fourth-straight five-plus inning outing. For Cedar Rapids, Watson (2-2) took the loss after giving up six earned over 3.1 innings.

The River Bandits will look to match its season-best seven-game win streak tomorrow behind the start of Anthony Veneziano (2-3, 4.21), while the Kernels will send Ben Gross (4-0, 2.48) to counter. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35PM 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.

Support the River Cities' Reader

Get 12 Reader issues mailed monthly for $48/year.

Old School Subscription for Your Support

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Old School Subscribe now.



Help Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93!

 

"We're the River Cities' Reader, and we've kept the Quad Cities' only independently owned newspaper alive and free since 1993.

So please help the Reader keep going with your one-time, monthly, or annual support. With your financial support the Reader can continue providing uncensored, non-scripted, and independent journalism alongside the Quad Cities' area's most comprehensive cultural coverage." - Todd McGreevy, Publisher