DAVENPORT, Iowa (May 10, 2014) - Right-hander Andrew Thurman and left-hander Chris Lee each pitched four innings of one-run ball, and the Quad Cities River Bandits scored twice in each of the sixth through eighth innings to sweep the Beloit Snappers, 6-2, and win a season-high fifth straight game in front of 4,926 at Modern Woodmen Park Saturday night.
Beloit (13-22) took a first-inning lead against Thurman, as center fielder Herschel "Boog" Powell hit a leadoff single to right field, and left fielder B.J. Boyd drew a walk. Third baseman B.A. Vollmuth hit an RBI single down the third-base line, and with two outs, Thurman issued a walk to load the bases. But he escaped the inning with one run allowed by striking out second baseman Luis Baez to begin a stretch of retiring 10 of the final 11 batters he faced.
Snappers right-hander Dylan Covey kept Quad Cities (17-18) scoreless through the first five innings, yielding just two hits and two walks. In the sixth, however, River Bandits center fielder Brett Phillips hit a leadoff single, and right fielder James Ramsay drew a walk. Second baseman Chan-Jong Moon bunted just in front of home plate for an infield single that loaded the base with no outs. Covey got designated hitter Jack Mayfield to hit into a 6-4-3 double play that scored Phillips with the tying run. First baseman Conrad Gregor then brought in Ramsay for the go-ahead run with an infield single behind second base. Covey finished six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
Lee (1-1) began the fifth inning with a 1-0 deficit and worked around a leadoff single to toss two scoreless innings, but he had a 2-1 lead to begin the seventh. Baez led off that frame with an infield single, advanced to second base on a sacrifice and scored when shortstop Melvin Mercedes grounded a game-tying double down the third-base line. With one out and the go-ahead run at second base, Powell grounded a ball that struck Mercedes a short distance from second base for the second out. Lee then picked Powell of first base to end the inning.
In a 2-2 tie, right-hander Tyler Hollstegge (0-1) retired the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh inning. Shortstop Thomas Lindauer worked a walk, and Phillips doubled to right field to put runners at second and third base. Ramsay then lined a two-out, two-run single past Baez for a 4-2 lead. Ramsay reached base in all four plate appearances with two walks, a double and the single.
Lee maintained the lead with a perfect eighth inning to complete a season-high four relief innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts. The River Bandits added to the lead in the eighth inning against right-hander Lee Sosa. Gregor hit a leadoff double to right-center field, third baseman Tyler White reached on an error by Vollmuth, and catcher Brian Holberton drove in both runners with a double to left-center field.
Right-hander Zach Morton pitched a perfect ninth inning, clinching Quad Cities' longest regular season winning streak since a seven-game winning streak July 28-Aug. 3, 2013.
Quad Cities begins a seven-game road trip at 6:35 p.m. Monday in Appleton, Wis. River Bandits right-hander Michael Feliz (1-1) is scheduled to face Wisconsin Timber Rattlers right-hander Preston Gainey (1-2) in a meeting of the last two Midwest League champions.
UP NEXT: Markdown Monday opens the next River Bandits homestand May 19 at Modern Woodmen Park. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and bleacher tickets, as well as hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, nachos, soda and beer are just $2 each for the 7 p.m. game. Tickets are available at www.riverbandits.com. To order any of the ticket plans - with new lower prices - call the River Bandits box office at 563-324-3000. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $40. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.
