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River Bandits Drop Series Opener with Wisconsin, 5-4

May 23, 2012 - Midwest League (MWL) Quad Cities River Bandits

DAVENPORT, Iowa (MAY 23, 2012) - The Quad Cities River Bandits' ninth-inning rally fell short Wednesday night, and despite outhitting their opponents, they were edged by the Midwest League Western-Division leading Wisconsin Timber Rattlers by a 5-4 margin on a clear night at Modern Woodmen Park in front of 2,034 fans.

With the River Bandits trailing, 5-3, in the bottom of the ninth, designated hitter Virgil Hill drew a one-out walk and took second on defensive indifference. He scored on a single by right fielder David Medina, who reached second base when right fielder Max Walla dropped the ball as he was preparing to make a throw. Casey Rasmus pinch ran for Medina as the potentially tying run at second base with one out and advanced to third on a wild pitch from Wisconsin right-handed closer Seth Harvey. Left fielder Roberto Reyes drew a walk, giving Quad Cities runners on the corners with one out. With second baseman Luis Mateo at the plate, Reyes stole second base before Mateo struck out swinging. With two outs and the tying and winning runs in scoring position, shortstop Matt Williams hit a soft ground ball back to Harvey, whose throw to first baseman Jason Rogers pulled him off the bag, but a quick tag caught Williams for the final out of the game.

The Timber Rattlers have won five straight games, while the River Bandits (21-24) have lost seven of nine and dropped a season-high 7 1/2 games behind first-place Wisconsin (29-17) in the Midwest League Western Division. Left-hander Kyle Hald (0-3) lasted five innings, allowed five hits, four runs - three earned - and a season-high four walks to go along with a season-high seven strikeouts.

Wisconsin took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, courtesy of an error by Williams that allowed first baseman Nick Ramirez to score after his leadoff double, and an RBI double by shortstop Yadiel Rivera that scored catcher Parker Berberet. Quad Cities got four hits in the bottom half of the inning, but only got an RBI single from first baseman Roberto De La Cruz and left runners at second and third to end the inning. Quad Cities left seven runners on base, including five in scoring position.

The River Bandits did tie the game in the third on a sacrifice fly by catcher Juan Castillo that scored Mateo, who singled to lead off the inning. After allowing two hits to start the fourth, right-hander Matt Miller (3-4) locked down Quad Cities by retiring the final 11 batters he faced. He matched a season high with seven innings and allowed seven hits, two runs and one walk while striking out four batters.

Wisconsin retook the lead with in the fourth, capitalizing on two hits and a pair of walks by Hald. Center fielder Chadwin Stang hit a two-run single with one out that gave the Timber Rattlers a 4-2 lead. They added to the lead in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Berberet that increased the lead to 5-2.

Wisconsin right-hander Tommy Toledo pitched the eighth inning and allowed an RBI double by Williams that drove in Mateo, who had reached on an error by left fielder Ben McMahan.

The second game of the series at 7 p.m. Thursday will feature right-handers Sam Gaviglio (2-3) and Drew Gagnon (3-1) for Quad Cities and Wisconsin, respectively. The Timber Rattlers have taken three of the first four games of the season series.

UP NEXT: Thursday is another Thirst-Day at Modern Woodmen Park presented by Rock 104.9, the CW and the River Cities' Reader. $2 drink specials will be available, including Pepsi products and draft beer. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at (563) 3-BANDIT 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.

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Midwest League Stories from May 23, 2012


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