Chris Lee wins fourth straight decision, Dayton loses fourth straight game despite outhitting QC, 7-3

DAYTON, Ohio (July 24, 2014) - Dayne Parker hit his first professional home run in the fourth inning, and Marc Wik provided the only two other hits for the Quad Cities River Bandits, but left-hander Chris Lee and right-hander Andrew Thurman made them enough in the team's fifth straight victory - a 4-2 win over the Dayton Dragons in front of 8,368 at Fifth Third Field Thursday night.

In his first start since July 6, Lee (6-5) gave the River Bandits (17-15 second half, 52-49 overall) their sixth straight starting effort of at least five innings, and fourth start in the last five games without allowing an earned run. He retired the first four batters of the game and induced two ground-ball double plays to face just two batters over the minimum in five innigns. He allowed only two batters to reach scoring position - Dragons center fielder Nick Benedetto on a third-inning double, and left fielder Gabriel Rosa on a walk, stolen base and groundout in the fifth inning that put him at third base. Lee allowed three hits and one walk without a strikeout, but he has allowed just one run in 16 innings across his first three second-half starts. He also won his fourth straight positive decision since June 29.

Right-hander Dan Langfield (2-2) was the second straight Dragons starter to strike out all three batters in the first inning. He struck out the first four River Bandits he faced and did not allow a baserunner before issuing a leadoff walk in the third inning to designated hitter Brett Booth. With one out, Parker and center fielder James Ramsay drew consecutive walks to load the bases. Right fielder Brett Phillips struck out, but third baseman J.D. Davis drew a full-count, two-out walk to force in the game's first run. Left fielder Ronnie Mitchell struck out to end the inning, but the River Bandits had a 1-0 lead without the help of a hit.

In the fourth inning, first baseman Chase McDonald drew a leadoff walk, and Wik hit a two-out single to right field - his team's first hit - to put runners at first and third bases. Parker then swatted the next pitch over the left-field fence - a three-run home run that gave him a career-high three RBIs and his first home run in 15 professional games. Langfield was charged with all four earned runs on two hits and five walks with seven strikeouts in the first four innings.

Beginning with the fifth inning, three Dragons relievers - right-handers Radhames Quezada, Nick Howard and Pedro Diaz - combined to allow just three baserunners, including Wik's second single to left field. The Dayton bullpen combined for one walk and one strikeout.

Thurman began the sixth inning with a 4-0 lead. Dragons shortstop Carlton Daal hit a one-out double down the left-field line and scored on designated hitter Jonathan Reynoso's RBI single to center field for the first Dayton run in 12 innings against the River Bandits. In the seventh inning, third baseman Avain Rachal drew a leadoff walk, stole second base, went to third base on a flyout, and scored on Benedetto's RBI double to the left-field corner, cutting the visitors' lead to 4-2.

Facing the tying run at the plate, Thurman struck out second baseman Ronald Bueno to end the seventh inning and retired six in a row before Rosa's two-out single in the ninth. But first baseman Robert Ramirez grounded back to Thurman for the final out. Thurman allowed two earned runs on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts for his second career save and first in the Midwest League. Dayton (14-18, 50-50) lost its fourth straight game despite outhitting Quad Cities, 7-3.

Quad Cities seeks to match its season-high six-game winning streak and earn its first sweep in Dayton since July 24-26, 2010 at 6:07 p.m. Central on Friday. River Bandits right-hander Jandel Gustave (5-5) is scheduled to face Dragons right-hander Nick Travieso (8-5).

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.

Quad Cities overcomes four errors and 3-0 deficit to take series opener in Dayton

DAYTON, Ohio (July 23, 2014) - Trailing 3-0 through three innings Wednesday night, the Quad Cities River Bandits rallied for six unanswered runs, using consecutive two-run doubles by Ronnie Mitchell and Chase McDonald in a four-run eighth inning for a 6-3 win over the Dayton Dragons in front of 8,216 at Fifth Third Field.

Despite a game that saw intermittent rain showers and the visitors commit four errors in their first visit to Dayton as an Astros affiliate, Quad Cities (16-15 second half, 51-49 overall) achieved a four-game winning streak for the first time in the second half. Dayton (14-17, 50-49) lost its third straight despite playing in front of its North American professional sports record 1,031^st consecutive home sellout.

One streak did end to help the Dragons take their lead in the second inning against right-hander Kevin Comer. River Bandits center fielder James Ramsay had not committed an error in his first 154 professional games, but a second-inning single by Dragons designated hitter Avain Rachal took a short hop through Ramsay's legs, allowing left fielder Phillip Ervin to score the game's first run from first base and Rachal to reach second base. It was the first error in 87 games and 159 fielding chances for Ramsay this season and the first in 293 chances in his career. Rachal later stole third base and scored when catcher Brian Holberton overthrew third base.

The Dragons' lead grew in the third inning, when second baseman Jamodrick McGruder drew a leadoff walk, stole second base and went to third base on Holberton's throw into center field, and scored on the first of Comer's two wild pitches. Comer recovered to scatter three hits without allowing a run in the rest of his five-inning start. Comer was charged with three runs - two earned - on six hits and one walk with a career-high eight strikeouts, including striking out the side in the fifth inning.

Dragons right-hander Sal Romano struck out all three batters in the first inning and kept Quad Cities to one hit through the first three innings. In the fourth inning, right fielder Brett Phillips lined a leadoff double over third baseman Ronald Bueno and went to third base on McDonald's two-out infield single. Holberton drew a walk to load the bases. Second baseman Marc Wik then grounded a ball to McGruder, whose throw pulled first baseman Robert Ramirez off the base, continuing the inning and allowing Phillips to score. Left fielder Jose Fernandez then hit an RBI single to left field. Romano escaped the inning and kept the 3-2 lead through five innings, allowing no earned runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts.

Left-hander Albert Minnis (2-1) followed Comer with three shutout innings, working around two eighth-inning hits. It gave Quad Cities a chance to take the lead against left-hander Joel Bender (4-2). After facing the minimum through his first two innings after Romano, Bender hit Ramsay with a pitch to lead off the eighth inning. Philllips put down a bunt single, and third baseman J.D. Davis singled to left-center field. With the bases loaded Mitchell doubled off the right-field wall, scoring two runs for a 4-3 lead. With runners at second and third bases, McDonald doubled off the center-field wall but was thrown out at third base.

The 6-3 lead was enough for right-hander Tyler Brunnemann to earn his third save with a perfect ninth inning. The win was the first for the River Bandits this season in 11 games in which they have committed at least three errors.

DES MOINES, IA (07/23/2014)(readMedia)-- There are just a few weeks left to purchase tickets for Grandstand concerts and track events during the 2014 Iowa State Fair. Tickets are selling fast for this year's "Amazingly Amusing" line-up, setAugust 7-17.

Great seats are still available for Christian artists the Newsboys and special guest Matthew West on August 7, Happy Together Tour 2014 on August 8, A Conversation with Willie, Kori & Si Robertson, the stars of A&E's Duck Dynasty, on August 10, country artists Jake Owen, Eli Young Band and special guest The Cadillac Three on August 14 and hard rockers Chevelle, Halestorm and special guest Saville Row on August 15.

New this year to the Grandstand is winged sprint car races. Flying into the Fairgrounds on August 10, the races will begin at 11 a.m. with hot laps at 10:30 a.m. Improvements to the track were completed in time for this year's racing season, including over 150 truck-loads of track resurfacing and improvements to the corner guardrails to allow faster and safer racing. The track will also host the Deery Brothers Summer Series on August 11 and the Grand Outlaw National Tractor and Truck Pull on August 13.

Tickets for all Grandstand events are on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets, online atticketmaster.com, by phone at 800/745-3000 and through the Iowa State Fair Ticket Office. Convenience charges apply to all tickets. All concert seats are reserved. All track events are general admission. Grandstand tickets do not include Fair admission. Gate admission must be purchased separately.

The Iowa State Fair Ticket Office, located on the front porch of the Administration Building, will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to Noon Saturday through August 6 for walk-up orders only. During the Fair, August 7 through 17, the Ticket Office is open only for will-call pick-ups. Any remaining tickets go on sale at the Grandstand ticket windows, open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. the day of the show.

"Nothing Compares" to the 2014 Iowa State Fair, August 7-17. The Fairgrounds are located at East 30th and East University Avenue, just 10 minutes east of downtown Des Moines. Discounted gate admission tickets are on sale now through our convenient print at home ticket option at iowastatefair.org. For more information, call 800/545-FAIR or visit iowastatefair.org.

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River Bandits lose 2-0 lead but recover for three-game sweep of Captains

DAVENPORT, Iowa (July 21, 2014) - Quad Cities first baseman Chase McDonald hit a three-run, walk-off home run in the 10^th inning off Lake County right-hander Alexis Paredes to give the River Bandits a 5-2 victory and their first-ever series sweep of the Captains in front of 3,186 at Modern Woodmen Park Monday afternoon.

Quad Cities (15-15 second half, 50-49 overall) achieved its first three-game winning streak since July 3 to complete its first sweep of an opponent in a season series since sweeping West Michigan in three games May 31-June 2, 2011. Neither Quad Cities nor Lake County (15-15, 42-58) had swept one another in the first four years of their annual three-game interdivision series.

A third straight River Bandits starter did not allow an earned run. Right-hander Adrian Houser worked around a pair of one-out walks in the first inning, in part thanks to a diving catch by center fielder James Ramsay on a line drive by Captains first baseman Nellie Rodriguez.

Quad Cities scored first for a third straight game in the second inning, when right-hander Caleb Hamrick walked designated hitter Ronnie Mitchell. After Mitchell stole second base, left fielder Jose Fernandez drove an RBI triple to right-center field scoring Mitchell for a 1-0 lead. Second baseman Marc Wik lined the next pitch to right-center field to score Fernandez for a 2-0 lead. Houser allowed a Lake County run in the third inning. Second baseman Claudio Bautista singled to left field, and right fielder Mike Papi hit a two-out fly ball toward left field, which Fernandez dropped for an error that allowed Bautista to score, cutting the lead to 2-1.

Houser worked around a double in the fourth inning, a single in the fifth inning, and a walk and hit batter in the sixth inning. He allowed one unearned run on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts in his fourth six-inning start of the season. Right-hander Frederick Tiburcio relieved him for the seventh inning and allowed a leadoff walk before stranding the tying run at third base to end the inning.

For the Captains, Hamrick allowed two earned runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts in five innings. Right-hander Jimmy Stokes struck out five batters in two scoreless innings, and right-hander Trevor Frank struck out one in two hitless innings.

River Bandits right-hander Andrew Walter (4-2) worked a perfect eighth inning. In the ninth, he allowed a leadoff single by left fielder Dorssys Paulino, who went to second base on a passed ball and to third base on third baseman Paul Hendrix's single. Walter struck out designated hitter Brian Ruiz before shortstop Ivan Castillo hit a slow ground ball that scored Paulino when shortstop Thomas Lindauer threw out Castillo at first base. Walter struck out Bautista with the go-ahead run at second base to keep the 2-2 tie. In the 10^th inning, Walter allowed a one-out walk and two-out single but struck out two batters to match a career high with five strikeouts in three innings.

In the bottom of the 10^th inning, Paredes entered to allow a single by third baseman J.D. Davis, who had his second straight two-hit game. Mitchell hit a fly ball that Paulino overran in left field for an error putting runners at second and third bases. McDonald then hit an 0-1 pitch for a towering fly ball to left field that dropped over the fence for his first career walk-off home run and ninth of the season.

Quad Cities begins a six-game road trip to Eastern Division ballparks at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio. River Bandits right-hander Kevin Comer (1-2) is scheduled to start the three-game series opener in the team's first visit to Fifth Third Field as an Astros affiliate.