(by Jake Levy)
BIG INNINGS HELP BANDITS TO DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP
River Bandits score four runs in fifth inning of both games for pair of wins
BELOIT, Wisc. -- The Quad Cities River Bandits took both games in their doubleheader at Pohlman Field on a warm Thursday night, winning 5-3 and 4-3 to take the series from the Beloit Snappers. Both games saw four-run fifth innings give the Bandits the bulk of their offense. Dexture McCall and Pat Porter each went deep in the game one win, while Albert Abreu struck out eight hitters in game two en route to his first win of the season.
The two wins gave the Bandits (20-26) a 2-1 series win over Beloit (23-23), snapping a string of four straight losing road series. It was the first road series win for Quad Cities since they took three of four games in Kane County from April 21 through 24.
In game one, the Snappers struck first with a two-run third inning. Chris Iriart roped a two-out double to the left field wall to plate a pair. McCall sliced the deficit in half with a leadoff solo home run in the fourth inning, his second of the year. Quad Cities scored four times in the fifth to take the lead for good. Aaron Mizell and Myles Straw collected back-to-back singles to lead off the inning, Osvaldo Duarte sacrificed them over before Connor Goedert brought home the tying run with a sacrifice fly. McCall then doubled home the go-ahead run before Porter launched a two-run blast just right of the batter's eye, his second homer of the seven-game road trip.
Makay Nelson got the start for Quad Cities in game one, going 4+ innings in his second no-decision in as many starts. Nelson allowed three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out one. Ralph Garza (2-2) stranded two runners for Nelson in the fifth and went the rest of the way scoreless for the win. Boomer Biegalski (4-1) surrendered all five runs on seven hits - including both big flies - in six innings to suffer his first loss of the year.
Quad Cities found themselves in an early hole again in game two. After Abreu struck out the first two batters of the inning, he walked Brett Siddall after an 0-2 start to the count and Iriart doubled him home, putting Beloit on top. They'd add two more in the second. Ryan Howell tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a single by Trent Gilbert. Jean Carlo Rodriguez was then hit by a pitch and later scored on a passed ball.
But Abreu would settle down after that, putting up 4.2 more scoreless innings. He retired 12 straight batters until a one-out single in the seventh. His eight strike outs were one shy of his career-high of nine and marked the seventh time in nine outings this year that Abreu has struck out at least six batters. Abreu (1-5) went 6.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk for his first win of the year.
Quad Cities went from famine to feast in the fifth to give Abreu a lead, batting around and scoring all four of their runs. Keach Ballard was hit by an 0-2 pitch before Bobby Wernes worked a four-pitch walk and a wild pitch moved both to scoring position. Straw took advantage with a sacrifice fly, scoring Ballard and moving Wernes to third. Arturo Michelena smoked a ground-ball single up the middle to score Wernes and bring the Bandits within one. Kyle Tucker walked and Goedert singled home Michelena to tie the game. Anthony Hermelyn lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Tucker and putting the Bandits in front.
The Bandits offense was stymied through four innings by spot-starter Kevin Johnson, who scattered four hits through four scoreless innings. Michael Fagan took over in the fifth and recorded just one out before getting lifted for Jared Lyons (2-2) who surrendered an inherited run for the tie and one of his own to take the loss. Juan Carlos Santos came into the game for Abreu in the seventh and walked a batter on four pitches then hit Edwin Diaz to load the bases. David Schmidt, who was transferred to Quad Cities today, got a clutch groundout to strand the bases load and secure a one-run win for his first save of the year.
FRIEDRICHS FRIES BANDITS IN SERIES OPENER
Quad Cities held scoreless until the ninth inning in 2-1 loss
BELOIT, Wisc. -- The Quad Cities River Bandits fell by the slimmest of margins for the second consecutive day, losing to the Beloit Snappers, 2-1, on a rainy Tuesday night at Pohlman Field. The Bandits were held to just four hits by Snappers starter Kyle Friedrichs in eight scoreless innings in the series opener. The River Bandits have scored a run or less in six of their last 11 games. Franklin Perez and Kevin McCanna each held the Snappers to one run each, but the limited offense proved just enough to hand the Bandits their fourth loss in the first five games of a seven-game road trip.
Perez was scoreless through 3.2 innings in his first start as a River Bandit (18-26) before a balk in the fourth allowed Chris Iriart to score and give Beloit (23-21) the lead. Iriart led off the inning with a single and advanced around on two groundouts before the balk. That was the only run allowed by Perez (0-1), who surrendered four hits and struck out three in four innings.
That was all the offense Friedrichs needed. He went eight scoreless innings, scattering four hits while striking out four Bandits. In 28 innings of work at Pohlman Field this season, Friedrichs (3-2) has allowed just one earned run and won three decisions without a loss. He's allowed three unearned runs in 13 innings against Quad Cities this season.
Beloit added a pivotal insurance run in the eighth inning. Iriart hit a one-out blooper into shallow left-center and miscommunication allowed the ball to drop for a double. Ryan Howell followed up with a ground-ball single back up the middle and Iriart scored for the second time in the game.
Bobby Wernes, who had one of Quad Cities four hits in the game, reached on an error to lead off the ninth inning at second base. He'd advance to third on a flyout and score on a wild pitch to get a run back. The Bandits got the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Anthony Hermelyn, who flew out to the warning track in right-center to end the contest.
Kevun McCanna allowed one run in three innings, allowing a pair of hits and two walks with a strikeout. Adam Whitt had his third consecutive scoreless outing, working around a hit and walk in the fifth inning. Cody Kurz gave up the unearned run in the ninth inning, but was able to hold off the comeback to pick up his fifth save in as many opportunities this season.
Kyle Tucker went 0-for-3 on the day, but reached on an error in the third inning and stole his 20 base of the season, extending his lead in the Midwest League. Quad Cities went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position in the game. Wernes has now hit safely in five of his last six games while Dexture McCall had a six-game hitting streak snapped in an 0-for-3 day.
BANDITS COMEBACK THWARTED BY WALK-OFF HOMER
Bandits erase four-run deficit but drop game and series in Cedar Rapids
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- A two-out, solo home run in the ninth inning by Zander Wiel left the Quad Cities River Bandits standing in a 5-4 loss to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on a sunny Monday afternoon at Perfect Game Field and Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Bandits scored four unanswered runs in the middle innings to tie the game, capped off by Connor Goedert's third home run of the year. Quad Cities dropped three of the four games in the wrap-around weekend set and have lost seven of the first eight meetings between the I-80 rivals.
Goedert's home run, a two-run shot to left, capped a four-run comeback for the River Bandits (18-25) in the sixth inning. In the fifth, Aaron Mizell hit a two-out triple to score Dexture McCall, who singled to lead off the inning, and break up the Kernels (25-18) shutout. Mizell would score on an infield single by Osvaldo Duarte to get within two.
Cedar Rapids took their first lead in the second inning when Wiel doubled down the right-field line and scored on a single by Luis Arraez. The very next inning, LaMonte Wade smashed his third home run of the season, a solo shot, to double the lead. The lead would again multiply in the fourth when the Rapids led off the inning with three straight singles, including an RBI knock by Nelson Molina before a sacrifice fly from Sean Miller rounded out the scoring.
The damage came off Bandits starter Chris Murphy, who was pulled in the fourth after walking a pair to load the bases with two runs already in. Zac Person got a flyout to strand the runners and give Quad Cities a chance to come back. Person would throw 2.1 hitless innings, surrendering only a pair of walks while striking out two. Murphy was charged for four earned runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings, but received no decision. Kernels starter Cody Stashak allowed two runs in five innings while striking out seven, but also was not the pitcher of record.
The bullpen battle continued into the later innings, with Andrew Thome throwing the final 1.2 innings for Quad Cities. He had gotten two quick outs in the ninth and had a full count on Wiel before the homer ended things abruptly. Thome (2-1) suffered his first loss of the season, allowing one run on two hits Monday afternoon. Nick Anderson (4-0) got the win for a six-up, six-down effort through the final two innings for Cedar Rapids.
