HOT-HITTING BANDITS ROUT HOT RODS AGAIN, 9-2; Edison Frias becomes team's first seven-game winner, while Brett Phillips hits his fifth home run in July
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (July 27, 2014) - Third baseman J.D. Davis had his first career four-hit game, center fielder Brett Phillips homered for a second straight day, and right-hander Edison Frias pitched a season-high seven innings in the Quad Cities River Bandits' second straight 9-2 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Bowling Green Ballpark Sunday afternoon.
Davis drove in the game's first run in the second inning on a double down the right-field line that scored River Bandits designated hitter Brian Holberton following the latter's leadoff single. Hot Rods right-hander Jake Faria (6-6) walked right fielder Ronnie Mitchell, and second baseman Dayne Parker sacrificed two runners into scoring position. Catcher Brett Booth singled to right field to score Davis, and when Booth was caught in a rundown on his way to second base, Mitchell scored to put the River Bandits up 3-0.
Frias (7-5) became the first seven-game winner of the season for Quad Cities (19-16 second half, 54-50 overall). But his first two pitches of the game were hit for singles by Hot Rods shortstop Juniel Querecuto and second baseman Kean Wong. Frias escaped trouble by getting a flyout, popup and groundout to begin a stretch in which he retired 12 of 13 batters.
In the top of the third inning, first baseman Chase McDonald hit a two-out double down the left-field line and scored when second baseman Kean Wong mishandled a ground ball by Holberton that got into center field. Davis then hit an infield single to third baseman Ty Young, and Mitchell hit an RBI single to center field for a 5-0 lead. Faria finished the inning but was charged with five runs - three earned - on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts in a season-low three innings.
Bowling Green (14-21, 46-58) reached the scoreboard in the fifth inning. Center fielder Julian Ridings led off with a single to right field, first baseman Alexander Simon doubled to center field, and Querecuto hit a one-out, two-run single to center field. Frias then retired the next eight batters - five on strikeouts - to last seven innings for the first time since Aug. 15, 2012. His eight strikeouts were a season high.
Following Faria, the Hot Rods used right-hander William Gabay for three scoreless innings. Right-hander Luis Cabrera entered with the 5-2 deficit and pitched a scoreless seventh inning. In the eighth, Cabrera allowed consecutive singles by Davis, Mitchell and Parker, who picked up his sixth RBI on the road trip. With two outs, Phillips smashed his ninth home run of the season to right field, bringing in three runs and extending the lead to 9-2. Cabrera was charged with four earned runs on six hits and two walks with one strikeout in three innings.
River Bandits left-hander Albert Minnis began the eighth inning with a groundout and allowed two hits in the final two innings but recorded the last five outs on strikeouts to post a new career high. Frias and Minnis combined to strike out 13 batters without a walk.
Back-to-back 9-2 scores gave Quad Cities consecutive wins by the same score for the first time since winning 5-2 Aug. 2, 2013, at home against Peoria, and Aug. 3, 2013, in Cedar Rapids. The River Bandits last had consecutive scores against the same opponent in a pair of 4-3 home losses to Bowling Green July 11-12, 2013. Quad Cities last won consecutive games by the same score against the same opponent Aug. 19-20, 2006, at home and then on the road against Burlington. The 2006 team also won consecutive 5-4 games in Clinton June 26-27.
Quad Cities has won seven of eight games and seeks its first-ever sweep in Bowling Green at 12:05 p.m. Monday. River Bandits right-hander Adrian Houser (4-4) is scheduled to face Hot Rods left-hander Bruedlin Suero (2-2).
BANDITS BLAST HOT RODS TO WIN 9-2 SERIES OPENER; Quad Cities has four-run fifth and sixth innings to pick up sixth win in last seven games
DAYTON, Ohio (July 26, 2014) - Designated hitter Ronnie Mitchell and center fielder Brett Phillips each hit two-run home runs in the Quad Cities River Bandits' go-ahead, four-run fifth inning, and left-hander Blaine Sims held the Bowling Green Hot Rods to two runs in a six-inning start for a 9-2 win at Bowling Green Ballpark Saturday night.
Phillips, Mitchell, and shortstop Thomas Lindauer each drove in two runs, and seven River Bandits contributed a hit and a run to a 13-hit showing and the team's highest scoring effort since July 11. Dayne Parker had a game-high three hits for the first time with Quad Cities.
Sims (2-2) had his longest Midwest League start and overcame seven walks - matching his career high and setting a season high by a pitcher for Quad Cities (18-16 second half, 53-50 overall). He allowed two runs - one earned - on five hits with three strikeouts. In the first inning, his two-out walk to Hot Rods catcher Oscar Hernandez led to a run after a passed ball, wild pitch and single by third baseman Ty Young. Sims picked Young off first base to end the inning and got a ground-ball double play to end a bases-loaded jam in the second.
The Hot Rods (14-20, 46-57) nearly added to the 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, as left fielder Darryl George hit a one-out double to center field, and center fielder Julian Ridings singled to center field. But Phillips threw to catcher Brian Holberton to get George at home plate for his 13th outfield assist of the season - a mark tied for best in the Midwest League.
Hot Rods right-hander D.J. Slaton (0-1) got ground-ball double plays in each of the first two innings to face one batter over the minimum through the first four innings. In the top of the fifth inning, third baseman J.D. Davis hit a leadoff double down the left-field line, and Mitchell drove the next Slaton pitch to the left of the scoreboard in right-center field for his team-high 13th home run and a 2-1 lead. With two outs, Lindauer reached on a fielding error by third baseman Ty Young, and Phillips followed with his eighth home run to almost the exact same spot as Mitchell's home run.
With a 4-1 lead, Sims walked three batters in the bottom of the fifth inning but only allowed one run on a sacrifice fly by catcher Oscar Hernandez. With Sims on the mound, Bowling Green left seven runners on base, including five in scoring position.
In the sixth inning, Slaton began with a 4-2 deficit and began by allowing first baseman Chase McDonald's double to left-center field, Holberton's single to right field and Davis' RBI single to center field. Slaton was lifted with no outs for right-hander Josh Kimborowicz, who got Mitchell to hit into a fielder's choice before second baseman Dayne Parker hit an RBI single, and Lindauer dropped a two-run single in front of George in left field for an 8-2 lead. Slaton was charged with seven runs - five earned - on eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts in five innings. Kimborowicz gave up four hits and one earned run with three strikeouts in three relief innings.
Following Sims, right-hander Andrew Walter pitched three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk with three strikeouts to earn his team-high ninth save. Quad Cities added a ninth-inning run when Phillips doubled, reached third base on an error and scored on a groundout by left fielder Marc Wik.
Quad Cities has won six of seven games and continues its series in Bowling Green at 2:05 p.m. Sunday. River Bandits right-hander Edison Frias (6-5) is scheduled to face Hot Rods right-hander Jake Faria (6-5).
UP NEXT: The River Bandits are in the running for the 2014 Quad-City Times Readers' Choice Awards in the categories of "Best Entertainment Venue," "Best Family Entertainment," "Best Place for a Kid's Birthday Party," and "Best Place to Take Out of Town Guest". Game tickets are available at www.riverbandits.com. To order any of the River Bandits 2014 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.
