Mick Foley appearance, bobblehead giveaway, fireworks show headline

DAVENPORT, Iowa (JULY 10, 2013) - The Quad Cities River Bandits host the Bowling Green Hot Rods and Dayton Dragons for a six-game home stand from Wednesday, July 10, through Monday, July 15, at Modern Woodmen Park. Below are the highlights of promotions and events for the home stand.

 

Fans attending the 2013 John Deere Classic can receive a coupon at the tournament, redeemable at the River Bandits box office for $2 off general admission for any game during the home stand.

 

Wednesday, July 10, 7:00 p.m. (Gates 5:30 p.m.) Sponsors: US Bank, Mix96

- John Deere Classic Celebration - The River Bandits will give away any-day passes to the John Deere Classic throughout the game.

- Golf Night - Golf-themed prizes and music throughout the night.

- Pay Your Bill Wednesday - Fans can enter a copy of an unpaid bill into a drawing on the concourse, and if it is selected, the River Bandits will pay the bill up to $100.

- IHMVCU BOGO Kids Tickets - By presenting a membership card or debit card at the box office, IHMVCU members can receive two free kids general admission tickets with the purchase of one adult general admission ticket.

 

Thursday, July 11, 7:00 p.m. (Gates 5:30 p.m.)

Sponsors: Quad-City Times, The Quad Cities' CW, River Cities' Reader, Rock 104-9

- Mick Foley Appearance - WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Mick Foley will be at the game to toss out a first pitch and sign autographs for fans in the Sports Lounge on the concourse.

- Pro Wrestling Night - Wrestling-themed music.

- Thirst-Day Thursday - Fans can enjoy $2 drink specials during the game.

- IHMVCU BOGO Tickets - By presenting a membership card or debit card at the box office, IHMVCU members can receive a free general admission ticket with the purchase of one general admission ticket.

 

Friday, July 12, 7:00 p.m. (Gates 5:30 p.m.) Sponsors: Eastern Iowa Toyota Dealers, Bridgeway Auto Parts, WLLR, WQAD

- Beach Ball and Koozie Giveaway presented by Bridgeway Auto Parts - The first 500 adults will receive a free koozie, while the first 500 kids will receive a free beach ball.

- T-Shirt Giveaway presented by Susan G. Komen - For the first 1,000 fans.

- Game Show Night - Enter-to-win prizes for Michael's Fun World, Annie Wittenmyer Pool, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chuck E. Cheese, Pepperjacks, and the classic board games Candy Land and Sorry.

- Friday Fireworks presented by Eastern Iowa Toyota Dealers - following the game.

 

Saturday, July 13, 7:00 p.m. (Gates 5:30 p.m.) Sponsors: EmbroidMe, Quad-City Times

- Billy Wagner Bobblehead Giveaway presented by EmbroidMe - For the first 2,000 fans.

- Fan Appreciation Saturday

 

Sunday, July 14, 5:00 p.m. (Gates 3:30 p.m.) Sponsors: HyVee, KWQC, B100

- Flat Screen Family Sunday - fans can enter a drawing on the concourse to win a free flat-screen TV. Winners will be announced during half-inning breaks of the game.

- HyVee Tote Bag Giveaway - for the first 1,000 fans through the gates.

- Bark in the Park - Dogs are welcome to the game on the Modern Woodmen Berm in left field.

- Kids Run the Bases - Kids can run around the bases at Modern Woodmen Park after the game.

- Post-game Kids Club Event - Kids Club members will join River Bandits players in making Dirt Cups with oreo crumplings, pudding and gummy worms.

 

Monday, July 15, 1:00 p.m. (Gates 11:30 a.m.) Sponsors: 97X

- Munchie Monday - All-you-can-eat hot dogs, nachos, peanuts and popcorn is available with a $15 wristband at the box office.

- Senior Day - preregistered senior citizens will receive a box lunch and a ticket to the game in the Sky Deck for $11. The Sky Deck is a climate-controlled room on the suite level along the left-field foul line.

- Kids Camp Day - Campers receive a box seat ticket plus a hot dog and soda voucher for $7.

- Funtown Gone Crazy - fans can purchase a wristband at the Zip Line or Mediacom Frog Hopper for an all-you-can-ride pass to both rides for only $10.

 

Tickets are available at the Modern Woodmen Park box office, by calling 563-324-3000 or online at www.riverbandits.com.

 

ABOUT THE BANDITS: The River Bandits ownership is making one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 112 feet over the playing field, is planned for next spring, along with a carousel and other new games and attractions. This season, the team just unveiled a new 300-foot long dual zip line, a rock climbing wall, a Mediacom Frog Hopper, and a number of new bounce houses . The team also boasts a new major league affiliate, the Houston Astros, and fans can see the first team in Minor League Baseball history with back-to-back No. 1 overall draft picks - 2012 top pick Carlos Correa and 2013 top pick Mark Appel, as well as 2012 first-round draft choice Lance McCullers. With new rides, new attractions, new improvements, a new affiliate and future major league stars, the second half of this season is one every fan will not want to miss!

 

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Brian Blasik hits second grand slam of the season, Rio Ruiz finishes a triple shy of the cycle

GENEVA, Ill. (JULY 7, 2013) - For the first time this season, three Quad Cities River Bandits homered in the same game, as catcher Roberto Pena, second baseman Brian Blasik and third baseman Rio Ruiz each went deep among the visitors' 13 hits in a 12-5 victory over the Kane County Cougars at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark Sunday afternoon.

Quad Cities (12-5 second half, 50-36 overall) had its highest run total since a season-high 17 runs against Great Lakes on April 30 and won for the 13th time in 17 meetings with Kane County (4-13, 34-49). Left-hander Colton Cain (4-5) allowed a first-inning run but retired 13 of 14 batters in one stretch and posted a season-high six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings for his first second-half win.

Pena tied the game in the second inning on a one-out home run to the picnic deck in left field off right-hander Tayler Scott (4-4). The home run was Pena's fourth of the season and second against the Cougars. He is 20-for-49 (.408) in 12 games against Kane County.

Quad Cities took the lead in the third inning, as left fielder Dan Gulbransen and designated hitter Jesse Wierzbicki hit back-to-back RBI doubles for a 3-1 lead. Meanwhile, Cain held the Cougars off the board through the fifth inning, retiring 13 of 14 batters in one stretch and posting a season-high six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He was charged with four runs, two earned, on five hits and three walks.

In the sixth inning, Ruiz hit a one-out single, and shortstop Austin Elkins drew a two-out walk to chase Scott. Right-hander Armando Rivero entered and walked first baseman Jobduan Morales to load the bases for Blasik, who hit his second home run - and second grand slam - of the season on a line drive over the left-field fence, extending the Quad Cities lead to 7-1.

The Cougars tallied three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, with third baseman Jeimer Candelario hitting an RBI double, and two more runs scoring when center fielder Jordan Scott threw a ball into the third-base stands after catching a fly ball. Kane County closed within 7-5 in the seventh inning, as right-hander Gera Sanchez yielded a sacrifice fly to Cougars first baseman Dan Vogelbach. Left-hander Mitchell Lambson got the final out of the inning and worked 1 1/3 scoreless frames.

Ruiz leading off the eighth inning and added an RBI double in the ninth inning to finish a triple shy of the cycle. Wierzbicki added a two-run double in the ninth inning. With a 12-5 lead, right-hander Chia-Jen Lo retired all three hitters he faced.

Sunday's victory lifted Quad Cities to match its season high of 14 games over .500 and also means The Captain's Table at 4801 River Drive in Moline will offer The Captain's Table Victory Discount on Monday, July 8. Anyone who mentions the River Bandits victory can receive a free appetizer or dessert with the purchase of two lunches or dinners with beverages on Monday, July 8. Quad Cities will face Kane County in the deciding game of the five-game series at noon Monday, when River Bandits right-hander Lance McCullers (4-4) faces Cougars left-hander Michael Heesch (3-7).

UP NEXT: Golf Night and the John Deere Classic Celebration open the River Bandits' six-game homestand Wednesday against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Modern Woodmen Park. Fans can also enter copies of the bills into a drawing to be one of the two paid up to $100 by the River Bandits on a Pay Your Bill Wednesday presented by U.S. Bank and Mix 96. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

Roberto Pena ties a career high with four hits and leads Quad Cities with three RBIs

GENEVA, Ill. (JULY 5, 2013) - Catcher Roberto Pena tied a career high with four hits, and right-hander Jordan Jankowski was the first Quad Cities River Bandits pitcher to toss seven innings in a start this season, but the team could not hold a lead for more than a half-inning in an 8-7 road loss to the Kane County Cougars at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark Friday night.

The River Bandits (10-5 second half, 48-36 overall) quickly lost a 1-0, first-inning lead and a 3-2, sixth-inning lead but took their largest advantage, 6-3, into the bottom of the eighth inning to put Jankowski in line for a win. Right-hander Juri Perez allowed two walks and a hit within the first four batters to load the bases with one out. Quad Cities right-hander John Neely entered and proceeded to allow all three inherited runners to score with a walk, hit batter, and a game-tying single by third baseman Giuseppe Pappacio.

In a 6-6 tie with one out and the bases loaded, Cougars second baseman Gioskar Amaya dropped a hit just past first base down the right-field line and reached second base for a two-run double that gave Kane County an 8-6 lead. Neely (2-5) got the next two batters but was charged with two earned runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning.

Trailing, 8-6, in the ninth inning, Quad Cities assembled a two-out rally against right-hander Justin Amlung. Designated hitter Jesse Wierzbicki was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on defensive indifference and scored on Pena's third RBI and fourth single - matching his first career four-hit game Aug. 27, 2011 with Lexington. But left fielder Dan Gulbransen grounded to second base for the final out.

The River Bandits took their first lead when center fielder Teoscar Hernandez hit the team's first leadoff home run of the season against Cougars left-hander Brian Smith, who set down the next 10 batters in order. The Cougars answered against Jankowski with center fielder Albert Almora's one-out triple and first baseman Dan Vogelbach's two-run home run in the bottom of the inning.

The score remained 2-1 in favor of Kane County (4-11, 34-47) until the sixth inning, when River Bandits right fielder Jordan Scott drew a leadoff walk and scored on shortstop Carlos Correa's game-tying double to left-center field that chased Smith. Right-hander Lendy Castillo entered and allowed Pena's go-ahead single with one out to give Quad Cities a 3-2 lead. But Almora slapped a game-tying home run to left field on Jankowski's first pitch of the bottom of the sixth innning.

In a 3-3 tie starting the eighth inning, Castillo walked Correa, Wierzbicki singled, and Pena hit his second go-ahead RBI single of the night. Two batters later, first baseman Jobduan Morales grounded a two-run double up the first-base line. Castillo walked the next two batters to load the bases with one out, but Hernandez grounded into an inning-ending double play to keep the River Bandits' lead at 6-3.

Quad Cities has lost its last four games in Kane County after winning the first five meetings at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark. River Bandits right-hander Mike Hauschild (5-1) will try to stop the skid against Cougars right-hander Jose Rosario (0-4) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

UP NEXT: Golf Night and the John Deere Classic Celebration open the River Bandits' six-game homestand Wednesday against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Modern Woodmen Park. Fans can also enter copies of the bills into a drawing to be one of the two paid up to $100 by the River Bandits on a Pay Your Bill Wednesday presented by U.S. Bank and Mix 96. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

Shortstop wins second straight monthly award, while left-hander is first-time Pitcher of the Month

DAVENPORT, Iowa (JULY 4, 2013) - Shortstop Carlos Correa is the Quad Cities River Bandits Player of the Month for June, and left-handed pitcher Colton Cain is the team's Pitcher of the Month, the Houston Astros announced on Wednesday.

The Houston Astros Player Development Department named a Pitcher and Player of the Month at each of their five in-season minor league affiliates, including four full-season affiliates and the Dominican Summer League club. These awards are chosen every month by the field staff of each team. Correa has won back-to-back Player of the Month awards.

Correa, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, led the River Bandits in June with a .370 batting average, 100 at-bats, 37 hits, 19 runs and 51 total bases. The 18-year-old tied for the team lead with 25 games played and 15 RBIs. In June, he also had 12 multi-hit games, two home runs and had a team-leading .510 slugging percentage. His current .327 batting average places him third in the Midwest League and second among the Astros full-season minor league players. Correa also had two hits while starting at shortstop for the Western Division in the Midwest League All-Star Game June 18 in Dayton, Ohio. On Monday, the Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, native was named to the World Team roster for the 2013 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game to be played July 14 at Citi Field in New York.

Cain, acquired by the Astros in a July 24, 2012, trade with Pittsburgh, went 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in June and led the pitching staff with a 0.91 walks-plus-hits-per-inning-pitched (WHIP) ratio. The 22-year-old Waxahachie, Tex., native tossed 23 innings with 16 strikeouts across six appearances, including three starts. He held opponents to a .177 batting average - the lowest against any Quad Cities pitcher who threw at least nine innings in June.

Through Tuesday, every Astros minor league affiliate has a winning record, and they are a combined 230-164 for a .584 winning percentage - the best among any organization's minor league system. Double-A Corpus Christi, advanced Class-A Lancaster, short-season Class-A Tri-City and the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Astros were each in first place in their respective divisions through Tuesday. Corpus Christi and Lancaster have already clinched playoff spots with first-half division titles.