April 18, 2016 - APPLETON, WI -- Different venue, same story for the Quad Cities River Bandits in a 6-2 loss to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Monday night at Fox Cities Stadium. Again it was one lopsided inning that cost the Bandits as Wisconsin plated five first-inning to runs and coasted the rest of the way to victory. Quad Cities has now lost five games in a row, matching their longest losing streak of the season.
The River Bandits (2-10) scored first in the game. Antonio Nunez led off the first inning with an infield single, stole two bases, then scored when the throw trying to catch him at third skipped into the outfield.
He would be the only blemish against Wisconsin (5-7) starter Marcos Diplan, who retired the final 12 River Bandits he faced before being removed after four innings. He allowed just the one hits and one unearned run while striking out six.
He would be the only blemish against Wisconsin (5-7) starter Marcos Diplan, who retired the final 12 River Bandits he faced before being removed after four innings. He allowed just the one hits and one unearned run while striking out six.
Diplan got all the run support he would need in the home first. Five hits, all singles, and a walk plus two River Bandits errors brought home five runs off starter Alex Winkelman. The only RBIs in the frame came on a two-run knock by Blake Allemand, who was playing in his first Midwest League game after reassignment from Advanced-A Brevard County. Winkelman (1-1) would settle in nicely after the first, allowing just two more hits and 3.2 scoreless frames, but the damage was already done.
Quad Cities got a run back in the sixth inning when Daz Cameron tripled into the left-centerfield gap and scored when Kyle Tucker reached safely on a two-out error by Allemand. Wisconsin used two singles sandwiching a sacrifice bunt to scratch across an insurance run in the eighth inning.
The late run was the only damage done off Rogelio Armenteros, who pitched 3.1 innings and only allowed the two hits and one run while striking out four Rattlers. Armenteros has now given up just three earned runs in 13 innings this season while striking out 15 batters.
Freddy Peralta (1-0) got the win after 3.2 innings in which he allowed one unearned run on two hits. Nathan Griep came on in the eighth with a three-run lead and runners at the corners but was able to pick off Kyle Tucker at first base to end the threat without throwing a single pitch. He would work a scoreless ninth to get his first save of the season.
It's a quick turnaround for Quad Cities and Wisconsin. The teams meet again on Tuesday for a 12:05 p.m. CT first pitch at Fox Cities Stadium. Jose Hernandez (0-1, 5.14) takes the mound for the River Bandits as they try to snap the five-game skid. David Burkhalter (0-0, 0.00) gets the nod for Wisconsin as he tries to extend his six-inning scoreless streak to start 2016. You can join Jake Levy for the radio broadcast, starting at 11:50 a.m. CT with the Lloyd Agencies Pregame Show, on K-BOB 1170 AM in the Quad Cities, online at riverbandits.com or on the TuneIn app.
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