Ferrell and Deetz lead Quad Cities to first doubleheader sweep since July 6, 2014
DAVENPORT, Iowa (August 20, 2015) - Justin Ferrell pitched six shutout innings in the first game of the double header, allowing four hits and striking out six with one walk, and Dean Deetz followed with five solid innings in the second game, allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks, as the Quad Cities River Bandits swept a doubleheader from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers by scores of 3-2 and 8-1 in a pair of seven-inning games in front of 2,562 at Modern Woodmen Park Wednesday night.
Ferrell (4-2) was sharp early in the first game, striking out five batters in the first three innings. Of the four hits he allowed, all came in different innings, and the first three came in innings with the bases empty and two outs.
Quad Cities (32-19 second half, 77-42 overall) scored right away against Angel Ventura (6-6), rallying for runs in both the first and second innings. With two away and nobody on base in the first, third baseman Nick Tanielu singled on an 0-2 pitch, keeping the inning alive for center fielder Ramon Laureano, who drew a walk. Second baseman Jose Fernandez followed by drawing a free pass as well, and the rally culminated with the third straight base on balls, issued to designated hitter Bryan Muniz, bringing Tanielu in to score.
A run in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Laureano gave the Bandits a third run, one that proved to be valuable when the Timber Rattlers (17-33, 40-80) came to hit in the seventh, and final scheduled, inning against Angel Heredia. Right fielder Elvis Rubio singled, followed by a strikeout of left fielder Mitch Meyer. A one-out double by catcher Natanael Mejia advanced Rubio to third. Center fielder Omar Cotto struck out, and first baseman Alan Sharkey drove in both runners with a base hit, narrowing the gap to just one run. Heredia then got shortstop Blake Allemand to ground out to end the game, leaving the tying run on base for Heredia's team-high eighth save.
In the second game, Wisconsin got out to the early lead, scoring a run in the top of the first against Deetz (2-1). Alleman singled with one out and advanced to third on a groundout by third baseman Sthervin Matos. With two outs, designated hitter Tucker Neuhaus doubled down the right-field line, scoring Allemand and giving the Timber Rattlers their first lead of the doubleheader.
In the bottom of the first inning, however, the River Bandits struck back with three runs of their own against Kodi Medeiros (4-3). Left fielder Drew Ferguson led off the inning with a double. After Tanielu struck out, Laureano walked and Muniz was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Fernandez, who drew a bases-loaded walk - the second of the night for Quad Cities - to tie the game, 1-1. Right fielder Ryan Bottger followed with a fly ball to right field, deep enough to score Laureano and the River Bandits the 2-1 lead. Medeiros' second wild pitch of the inning scored Muniz to make it 3-1, more than enough of a lead for the rest of the night.
The River Bandits added a single run in the third inning and three in the fourth on a bases-clearing double by Muniz, busting the game wide open and vaulting Quad Cities to a 7-1 lead.
The sweep of Wisconsin in the doubleheader is the first for the River Bandits since July 6, 2014, when Quad Cities also swept the Timber Rattlers at Modern Woodmen Park. In its first seven doubleheaders since that date, the River Bandits had split six and lost one.
