Brian Blasik hits second grand slam of the season, Rio Ruiz finishes a triple shy of the cycle

GENEVA, Ill. (JULY 7, 2013) - For the first time this season, three Quad Cities River Bandits homered in the same game, as catcher Roberto Pena, second baseman Brian Blasik and third baseman Rio Ruiz each went deep among the visitors' 13 hits in a 12-5 victory over the Kane County Cougars at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark Sunday afternoon.

Quad Cities (12-5 second half, 50-36 overall) had its highest run total since a season-high 17 runs against Great Lakes on April 30 and won for the 13th time in 17 meetings with Kane County (4-13, 34-49). Left-hander Colton Cain (4-5) allowed a first-inning run but retired 13 of 14 batters in one stretch and posted a season-high six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings for his first second-half win.

Pena tied the game in the second inning on a one-out home run to the picnic deck in left field off right-hander Tayler Scott (4-4). The home run was Pena's fourth of the season and second against the Cougars. He is 20-for-49 (.408) in 12 games against Kane County.

Quad Cities took the lead in the third inning, as left fielder Dan Gulbransen and designated hitter Jesse Wierzbicki hit back-to-back RBI doubles for a 3-1 lead. Meanwhile, Cain held the Cougars off the board through the fifth inning, retiring 13 of 14 batters in one stretch and posting a season-high six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He was charged with four runs, two earned, on five hits and three walks.

In the sixth inning, Ruiz hit a one-out single, and shortstop Austin Elkins drew a two-out walk to chase Scott. Right-hander Armando Rivero entered and walked first baseman Jobduan Morales to load the bases for Blasik, who hit his second home run - and second grand slam - of the season on a line drive over the left-field fence, extending the Quad Cities lead to 7-1.

The Cougars tallied three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, with third baseman Jeimer Candelario hitting an RBI double, and two more runs scoring when center fielder Jordan Scott threw a ball into the third-base stands after catching a fly ball. Kane County closed within 7-5 in the seventh inning, as right-hander Gera Sanchez yielded a sacrifice fly to Cougars first baseman Dan Vogelbach. Left-hander Mitchell Lambson got the final out of the inning and worked 1 1/3 scoreless frames.

Ruiz leading off the eighth inning and added an RBI double in the ninth inning to finish a triple shy of the cycle. Wierzbicki added a two-run double in the ninth inning. With a 12-5 lead, right-hander Chia-Jen Lo retired all three hitters he faced.

Sunday's victory lifted Quad Cities to match its season high of 14 games over .500 and also means The Captain's Table at 4801 River Drive in Moline will offer The Captain's Table Victory Discount on Monday, July 8. 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 Monday, July 8. Quad Cities will face Kane County in the deciding game of the five-game series at noon Monday, when River Bandits right-hander Lance McCullers (4-4) faces Cougars left-hander Michael Heesch (3-7).

UP NEXT: Golf Night and the John Deere Classic Celebration open the River Bandits' six-game homestand Wednesday against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Modern Woodmen Park. Fans can also enter copies of the bills into a drawing to be one of the two paid up to $100 by the River Bandits on a Pay Your Bill Wednesday presented by U.S. Bank and Mix 96. 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.

Quad Citians can enjoy an evening of wine and food at Broadway Historic District's 3rd Annual Wine Walk, 6 to 10 p.m., Saturday, August 3. Tickets are $35 per person or $60 per couple. Only 100 tickets are available.

Event goers will receive a sampling of 16 wines and gourmet appetizers while getting an inside look into four premier houses in the Broadway neighborhood. The event will also feature a basket raffle.

Tickets can be purchased through PayPal at www.broadwaydistrict.org or by mailing a check to: Broadway Historic District, c/o Kyla Heddlesten, 541 23rd St., Rock Island, IL  61201. Proceeds from the event will support the organization's efforts to revitalize homes, repair sidewalks, plant trees, and landmark historic properties.

For more information, please contact Kyla Heddlesten at 309.786.5562 or kylamolln@yahoo.com.

The Broadway Historic District is a collection of late 19th and early 20th century homes between 6th and 13th avenues and  17th and 23rd streets in Rock Island, Ill. In 1988, the area was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

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Roberto Pena ties a career high with four hits and leads Quad Cities with three RBIs

GENEVA, Ill. (JULY 5, 2013) - Catcher Roberto Pena tied a career high with four hits, and right-hander Jordan Jankowski was the first Quad Cities River Bandits pitcher to toss seven innings in a start this season, but the team could not hold a lead for more than a half-inning in an 8-7 road loss to the Kane County Cougars at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark Friday night.

The River Bandits (10-5 second half, 48-36 overall) quickly lost a 1-0, first-inning lead and a 3-2, sixth-inning lead but took their largest advantage, 6-3, into the bottom of the eighth inning to put Jankowski in line for a win. Right-hander Juri Perez allowed two walks and a hit within the first four batters to load the bases with one out. Quad Cities right-hander John Neely entered and proceeded to allow all three inherited runners to score with a walk, hit batter, and a game-tying single by third baseman Giuseppe Pappacio.

In a 6-6 tie with one out and the bases loaded, Cougars second baseman Gioskar Amaya dropped a hit just past first base down the right-field line and reached second base for a two-run double that gave Kane County an 8-6 lead. Neely (2-5) got the next two batters but was charged with two earned runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning.

Trailing, 8-6, in the ninth inning, Quad Cities assembled a two-out rally against right-hander Justin Amlung. Designated hitter Jesse Wierzbicki was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on defensive indifference and scored on Pena's third RBI and fourth single - matching his first career four-hit game Aug. 27, 2011 with Lexington. But left fielder Dan Gulbransen grounded to second base for the final out.

The River Bandits took their first lead when center fielder Teoscar Hernandez hit the team's first leadoff home run of the season against Cougars left-hander Brian Smith, who set down the next 10 batters in order. The Cougars answered against Jankowski with center fielder Albert Almora's one-out triple and first baseman Dan Vogelbach's two-run home run in the bottom of the inning.

The score remained 2-1 in favor of Kane County (4-11, 34-47) until the sixth inning, when River Bandits right fielder Jordan Scott drew a leadoff walk and scored on shortstop Carlos Correa's game-tying double to left-center field that chased Smith. Right-hander Lendy Castillo entered and allowed Pena's go-ahead single with one out to give Quad Cities a 3-2 lead. But Almora slapped a game-tying home run to left field on Jankowski's first pitch of the bottom of the sixth innning.

In a 3-3 tie starting the eighth inning, Castillo walked Correa, Wierzbicki singled, and Pena hit his second go-ahead RBI single of the night. Two batters later, first baseman Jobduan Morales grounded a two-run double up the first-base line. Castillo walked the next two batters to load the bases with one out, but Hernandez grounded into an inning-ending double play to keep the River Bandits' lead at 6-3.

Quad Cities has lost its last four games in Kane County after winning the first five meetings at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark. River Bandits right-hander Mike Hauschild (5-1) will try to stop the skid against Cougars right-hander Jose Rosario (0-4) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

UP NEXT: Golf Night and the John Deere Classic Celebration open the River Bandits' six-game homestand Wednesday against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Modern Woodmen Park. Fans can also enter copies of the bills into a drawing to be one of the two paid up to $100 by the River Bandits on a Pay Your Bill Wednesday presented by U.S. Bank and Mix 96. 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.

Des Moines, July 5, 2013 - The State Judicial Nominating Commission, which is responsible for selecting nominees for appointment to the Iowa Court of Appeals, announced today it will begin accepting applications to fill the vacancy that will occur when Court of Appeals Chief Judge Larry J. Eisenhauer retires September 30, 2013.

The Commission has sixty days to send a list of three nominees to the Governor, who makes appointments to the court.

The deadline for applications is August 12, 2013. Any citizen may submit in writing to the secretary of the commission, or to any commissioner, the names of persons for consideration as a candidate for nomination and express views concerning such candidate. Once the application time has run, the Commission will release the names of all applicants along with information about each applicant's background, experience, and qualifications.   This list and other information about the nominating commission and Iowa's merit selection process will be available on the Iowa Judicial Branch website: www.iowacourts.gov.

The Commission has set aside August 21 and 22, 2013, to interview applicants. Balloting to select a slate of three nominees will take place on August 22, 2013. The interviews will be held in the Supreme Court courtroom and will be open to the public. The interviews will also be streamed live on the Internet.

The 17-member commission is composed of a chair, who is the senior justice of the supreme court other than the chief justice, eight lawyer commissioners elected by lawyers licensed to practice law in Iowa and eight non-lawyer commissioners appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Iowa Senate. With the exception of the commission chair, membership on the commission is limited to one six-year term. Terms are staggered. The Iowa Constitution requires that commission members be chosen without regard to political affiliation.

Iowa's process for selecting judges through the use of nominating commissions is known as merit selection. Iowa voters approved the merit selection process in 1962 by constitutional amendment. Merit selection is designed to emphasize the professional qualifications of applicants for judicial appointment and minimize partisan politics. In keeping with this design, the Commission puts applicants for judicial office through a rigorous and thorough screening by reviewing extensive information about each applicant's background, education, professional skills, and experience. After the interviews, the commission sends the governor a slate of nominees. Iowa law requires nominees to be chosen "upon the basis of their qualifications and without regard to political affiliation." The governor is required to pick the new judge from this slate.

Important Notice to Applicants: To be eligible for appointment to the court of appeals, applicants must be a resident of the state, licensed to practice law in Iowa, and must be of such age that they will be able to serve an initial term (i.e., through December 31, 2014) and one regular term of office (six years or until December 31, 2020) before reaching the age of 72. To be most favorably considered for balloting, applicants for the vacancy on the court of appeals created when Chief Judge Eisenhauer retires must file a letter of intent with the secretary of the commission by August 8, 2013, and must submit completed application forms to the commission on or before August 12, 2013.

The names and addresses of the commission members and secretary are:

 

Chair

Justice David Wiggins

1111 East Court Ave.

Des Moines, IA 50319

 

Lawyer Members

Henry Bevel

327 East 4th Street, Ste. 300

Waterloo, IA 50704

 

Suzan Boden

P.O. Box 1557

Sioux City, IA 51102-1557

 

Christine Conover

115 Third Street SE, Ste. 1200

Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

 

Martin Diaz

528 South Clinton Street

Iowa City, IA 52240

 

Connie Diekema

699 Walnut Street, Ste. 1900

Des Moines, IA 50309

 

Jeff Goodman

1501 42nd Street, Ste. 300

West Des Moines, IA 50266

 

John Gray

1128 Historic 4th Street

Sioux City, IA 51102-1557

 

Dorothy O'Brien

2322 East Kimberly Road, Ste. 100E

Davenport, IA 52807

 

Appointed Members

Scott Bailey

1956 Clemens Street

Otley, IA 50214-8560

 

John Bloom

4820 Elm Street

West Des Moines, IA 50265-2995

 

Elizabeth Doll

77 Pelican Drive

Council Bluffs, IA 51501

 

Kathy Pearson

150 Thompson Drive SE, #120

Cedar Rapids, IA 52403-1740

 

Patricia "Trish" Roberts

732 San Salvador Avenue

Carroll, IA 51401

 

Helen Sinclair

2208 560th Avenue

Melrose, IA 52569-8502

 

Steve Sukup

1405 North Shore Drive

Clear Lake, IA 50428-1237

 

Jerry Welter

102 Jayne Drive

Monticello, IA 52310-1819

 

Secretary of the Commission

David K. Boyd

State Court Administrator

1111 E. Court Avenue

Des Moines, IA 50319

(515) 281-5241

 

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