CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA (April 16, 2019) — The Quad Cities River Bandits surrendered a season-high in runs and hits and also walked a season-high nine-batters in falling 11-2 to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Tuesday night at Perfect Game Field. Cedar Rapids pounded out nine extra-base hits on the night and five different players collected three hits.
Cedar Rapids (5-8) did the first damage of the night thanks to the home-run ball. Hunter Lee opened the inning by drawing a walk off of River Bandits starter Austin Hansen. Gabriel Maciel followed with a single up the middle to put two on with no outs. After Hansen battled back to record two outs without any advancement, Trey Cabbage crushed a three-run home to right-field for a 3-0 Kernels advantage.
The teams would trade single-runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Cedar Rapids scored theirs on a pair of sacrifice-flies. The Bandits (7-5) received an RBI single from Cesar Salazar in the fourth and scored an unearned run thanks to two Kernels errors in the fifth. After all of the scoring, Cedar Rapids owned a 5-2 lead.
The Kernels used a solo home-run from Jacob Pearson in the seventh to make it 6-2 and then pulled away with a big four-run outburst in the eighth inning. That frame featured four hits, three of them going for extra-bases. Cabbage added a two-RBI triple to finish the night 3-6 with a triple, a home-run, and five runs batted in. The Kernels added a final run in the top of the ninth on a double, two walks, and a passed ball.
Hansen took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits in 3.0 innings. Humberto Castellanos turned in 4.0 innings and allowed two runs on five hits. Devin Conn surrendered five runs, four earned, on five hits and walked three. This was the first game this season in which the River Bandits failed to collect at least ten strikeouts.
Enmanuel Valdez provided two of the Bandits four hits and walked twice to reach base in all four trips to the plate. He has five extra-base hits in the last four days.
The River Bandits will conclude the series with the rubber match in Cedar Rapids at 6:35PM on Wednesday night. The entire series was moved from Modern Woodmen Park due to limited access to the stadium. RHP Nivaldo Rodriguez (1-0, 1.80) will work for the Bandits in the series finale against Kernels RHP Jordan Balazovic (1-1, 2.79).
Cedar Rapids (R-H-E): 11-5-3
Quad Cities (R-H-E): 2-3-0
Win: Enlow (2-1)
Loss: Hansen (1-1)
Save: None
HR: Cedar Rapids: Trey Cabbage (4, 3rd inning, 2 on base), Jacob Pearson (1, 7th inning, 0 on base)
HR: Quad Cities: None
All River Bandits games are broadcast on 1170 K-BOB and TuneIn Radio. Home games are also available with video on MiLB.TV.
