Quad Cities wins consecutive games for first time in more than two weeks

BURLINGTON, Iowa (JULY 24, 2013) - Quad Cities River Bandits right-hander Lance McCullers struck out six batters in five innings to earn his first win since June 23, and center fielder Teoscar Hernandez hit his team-leading eighth home run to help the visitors to an 8-5 victory over the Burlington Bees at Community Field Wednesday night.

Seven players combined for nine hits to help Quad Cities (17-13 second half, 55-44 overall) win back-to-back games for the first time since July 6-7 in Kane County and score at least seven runs in consecutive games for the first time since July 2-3 at home against Clinton.

In the opener of a three-game series, Burlington (12-19, 38-58) took the lead in the first inning against McCullers (5-5). Bees third baseman Sherman Johnson drew a leadoff walk, and first baseman Wade Hinkle hit his 10th home run to give his team a 2-0 lead. McCullers has allowed a home run in each of his last three starts, while Quad Cities' opponents have homered in seven straight games.

The River Bandits answered quickly against right-hander Pat Lowery (3-6) in the second inning. Designated hitter Bobby Borchering and first baseman Jesse Wierzbicki drew consecutive walks and advanced one base each on a wild pitch - the first of five thrown by Bees pitchers in the game. Third baseman Rio Ruiz then drove both runs home with his first triple of the season to right-center field. Another wild pitch brought in Ruiz for the go-ahead run. Catcher Roberto Pena then singled, and right fielder Dan Gulbransen grounded into a fielder's choice. Two batters later, Hernandez hammered a Lowery offering over the left-field fence for a 5-2 Quad Cities lead. The five-run frame was the River Bandits' largest since a five-run ninth inning against Cedar Rapids on June 13.

McCullers held the lead by tossing four straight scoreless innings to finish his outing. He gave up a walk in the second inning but erased it on a double play. The Bees loaded the bases in the third inning on a hit batter and two walks, but McCullers got a strikeout that started a string of seven consecutive outs through the end of the fifth inning. His six strikeouts gave him 101 this season, making he and teammate Vincent Velasquez (102) the only Midwest League pitchers with 100 this season.

The teams traded pairs of runs in the seventh inning. Pena doubled and scored on a single by Gulbransen. Second baseman Austin Elkins later doubled on scored on a play that included a wild pitch and a throwing error by Bees catcher Zach Wright. In the bottom of the inning, right-hander Juri Perez gave up a single and three walks that led to two runs. Right-hander Gera Sanchez pitched two scoreless innings for the Quad Cities bullpen. The River Bandits scored a run with the help of two ninth-inning errors, while the Bees had three hits for a ninth-inning run against right-hander Jordan Jankowski.

Wednesday's victory also means The Captain's Table at 4801 River Drive in Moline will offer The Captain's Table Victory Discount on Thursday, July 25. Anyone who mentions the River Bandits victory can receive a free appetizer or dessert with the purchase of two lunches or dinners with beverages on Thursday, July 25. The River Bandits and Bees continue their series at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Quad Cities right-hander Mark Appel (0-0) will make his third Midwest League start against Burlington left-hander Tyler DeLoach (4-2).

UP NEXT: Modern Woodmen Park is a nominee for the "Best Minor League Ballpark" in the 2013 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, and fans can vote once per day at 10Best.com until the winner is announced Aug. 14. The River Bandits return to Modern Woodmen Park Tuesday, July 30. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at  563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

ABOUT THE BANDITS: The River Bandits ownership is making one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 112 feet over the playing field, is planned for next spring, along with a carousel and other new games and attractions. This season, the team just unveiled a new 300-foot long dual zip line, a rock climbing wall, a Mediacom Frog Hopper, and a number of new bounce houses . The team also boasts a new major league affiliate, the Houston Astros, and fans can see the first team in Minor League Baseball history with back-to-back No. 1 overall draft picks - 2012 top pick Carlos Correa and 2013 top pick Mark Appel, as well as 2012 first-round draft choice Lance McCullers. With new rides, new attractions, new improvements, a new affiliate and future major league stars, the second half of this season is one every fan will not want to miss!

Churches United of the Quad City Area is hosting its Inaugural All Women's Golf Outing in support of Winnie's Place - a shelter for women with or without children who are homeless or victims of domestic violence - on Friday, September 13, 2013.

Winnie's Place has served the Quad Cities since 2006 providing 28,000+ Lodgings (overnight stays), 55,000+ meals to over 1,400 women and children who are victims of domestic violence or are homeless. Winnie's clients are provided with daily needs such as food, clothing and personal care items in addition to domestic violence counseling, budgeting, parenting, and time management training.

Tee Time for Winnie's golf tournament for Women is a Scramble Format with registration starting at 7:00 a.m. Registration includes Green Fees, Cart, and Lunch at Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, IL. Additional activities include a silent auction and raffle.

For more information please contact:

Anne Wachal - Executive Director or

Thea Hansen - Golf Outing Co-Chairperson

Churches Untied of the Quad Cities Area

2535 Tech Drive, Suite 205

Bettendorf, IA 52722

563/332-5002

Sheltering women at "Winnie's Place" is a mission of Churches United of the Quad City Area

###

Bipartisan amendment introduced by Loebsack added to Defense Appropriations bill

Washington, D.C. - Late last night, Congressman Dave Loebsack's bipartisan amendment to prohibit furloughs of civilian employees like those at the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center who are funded through Defense Working Capital Funds (WCF) was added to the 2014 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. WCF employees are not directly funded by the Department of Defense.  Instead, they are funded through sales revenue, including revenue from prior years. As a result, furloughing these employees does not create direct savings for the Department of Defense. Loebsack's amendment would address the situation of men and women working at the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center at Rock Island Arsenal who are WCF employees. Loebsack has long opposed all furloughs and voted against sequestration, which created these pay cuts. He has pushed Congress and the Administration to find a balanced, commonsense way to replace sequestration and responsibly deal with the fiscal situation facing the nation. He also supported an amendment that was included in the legislation to ban all furloughs for Department of Defense employees.

"It is unconscionable that the dedicated men and women who work at Rock Island Arsenal are being forced to take a pay cut because of Washington's dysfunction. I opposed the creation of sequestration and I oppose the decision to furlough any dedicated individuals who work every day on behalf of our troops and national security," said Loebsack. "What's more, furloughing folks like those at the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center doesn't even create direct savings for the Department of Defense. I am opposed to all furloughs and will continue to fight to eliminate them. I am glad my bipartisan amendment was supported by the House to address the unique situation of folks like those at JMTC and to send a strong signal of support to all Rock Island Arsenal employees."

Video of Loebsack speaking on his amendment can be found here.

###

Pioneering Psychotherapist Shares Strategies for Managing Anxiety & Maintaining Emotional Wellness

Unlike many of the most important events in one's life - graduation, marriage, having a child - almost no one anticipates a cancer diagnosis.

This year, nearly 239,000 U.S. men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 232,000 women will learn they have breast cancer, according the American Cancer Society. Over their lifetimes, nearly half of all men can expect a cancer diagnosis, and more than a third of women.*

"Thankfully, we now have many tools for detecting cancers early and treating them successfully. But learning you have cancer remains one of life's most frightening and stressful experiences," says cancer psychotherapist Dr. Niki Barr, author of "Emotional Wellness, The Other Half of Treating Cancer," (canceremotionalwellbeing.com).

"Developing ways to help patients address their emotional well-being throughout their medical journey, still lag behind medical advances, but physicians and psychologists recognize that healing improves when both the physical and emotional needs of patients are served."

In her years of clinical practice working exclusively with cancer patients and their loved ones, Barr developed an Emotional Wellness Toolbox that patients stock with what Barr has found to be the most effective tools.

Here are some of her tools for managing anxiety - a normal and emotionally healthy response to a cancer diagnosis, but one that can spiral out of control.

• Catch your anxious thoughts. Stop anxious thoughts - thoughts about fear, unease and worry -- before they lead to anxiety. Start by writing your thoughts down on individual note cards and identifying the first one that's leading to you feeling anxious.  Then the next one. When you've identified all of your anxious thoughts, go back to the first one and, on the card, write a new thought that will not make you feel anxious. It should be a thought that is confident and empowering. Continue down the list and do the same for each anxious thought.

• Erase 'what if' thinking. What if the cancer has spread? What if the treatment doesn't work? One 'what if' leads to another and often spirals into anxiety. Be aware when you start asking 'what if' and instead ask yourself, "Is this thought helping me or hurting me?" and "Is this thought moving me forward or backward?"

• Ground yourself. Interrupt a chain of anxious thoughts by focusing on details around you. Look at the color of the walls in the room you're in; take in the pictures on the walls, the books on the shelves and the titles on their spines; look at the person you're talking to, the color of their eyes, the clothes she's wearing. Being very focused on external details can derail anxious thoughts.

• Use distraction. Choose a favorite place and visit it. Absorb everything about it - the colors, smells, any people involved, the sounds, tastes, how it feels. Build it up very clearly in your mind, going over and over it, so it can become a distraction tool. When you're waiting for a medical test or procedure, undergoing a procedure, or any other time you need to "be" somewhere else, call up your distraction and visit.

Other tools for your box include meditation CDs that use guided imagery; favorite music CDs; and a journal to record your thoughts and feelings.

"Being able to manage your anxiety enables you to move forward through cancer whether patient, caregiver or family member," Barr says.  "Don't tell yourself you can't handle whatever you're going through. Yes, you can ... five minutes at a time."

*The data does not include non-melanoma skin cancers, the most common diagnosis.

About Niki Barr, Ph.D. (@NikiBarrPhD)

Niki Barr, Ph.D. founded a pioneering psychotherapy practice dedicated to working with cancer patients in all stages of the disease, along with their family members, caregivers and friends. In her book, she describes an "emotional wellness toolbox" patients can put together with effective and simple strategies, ready to use at any time, for helping them move forward through cancer. Dr. Barr is a dynamic and popular speaker, sharing her insights with cancer patients and clinicians across the nation.