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MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

6,549 watch Bandit Wedding, post-game fireworks and fifth straight win

September 5, 2009 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


Only one phrase can describe the way the home portion of the 2009 River Bandits' schedule wrapped up on Friday night: Bandit-style!

In front of another raucous crowd of 6,549 that witnessed the on-field Bandit Wedding pre-game and then enjoyed the final fireworks show of the season, the Quad Cities River Bandits scored four runs in the first inning and equaled season highs with five doubles and seven extra-base hits in an 11-5 win over the Beloit Snappers at Modern Woodmen Park.

Quad Cities (30-36, 60-76) finished another banner season at the gates with a total attendance of 236,401 and an average attendance of 3,694, notching the third-highest per-game attendance in franchise history and the fifth-highest total attendance. The victory marked their fifth straight win and wrapped up a three-game series sweep over Beloit (27-40, 54-83), thanks in large part to three hits and two RBI apiece from Rich Racobaldo and Domnit Bolivar.

The River Bandits came out swinging, bursting onto the scene with four consecutive one-out hits in the bottom of the first. Jason Stidham started the rally with a towering fly ball to right that caromed off the ribbon board and resulted in a triple. Jermaine Curtis gave Quad Cities a 1-0 lead with a line-drive single to right-center, and Xavier Scruggs added a base hit to put runners at first and second. Both Curtis and Scruggs scored moments later on a double to left by Racobaldo, while Ryde Rodriguez added a run-scoring single to give the River Bandits a healthy 4-0 lead after just one inning of play.

The Snappers cut the lead in half with a pair of runs in the third. Jeffrey Lanning lined a leadoff double down the line in left and eventually scored on a groundout for Beloit's first run. With two away and the bases empty, Aaron Hicks turned on an 0-1 pitch and yanked a laser to right that narrowly cleared the ribbon board, leaving the yard for a solo homer that brought the Snappers to within 4-2.

But the Quad Cities offense was far from done. Scruggs led off the third with a double and came around to score when a single by Racobaldo skipped by the right fielder for a two-base error. The lead was 5-3 when Bolivar and D'Marcus Ingram checked in with back-to-back doubles to open the fourth. Ingram's two-base hit drove home the first run of the frame, and the speedy leadoff hitter followed by stealing third and inducing a throwing error by the catcher that enabled him to trot home for a 7-3 advantage.

Scott Schneider (1-3) earned his first Midwest League win, tossing 6.1 innings and striking out seven while allowing five runs - four earned - on nine hits. After getting just three total runs of support through his first four starts with the River Bandits, Friday's offensive outburst was plenty to deliver the victory.

Beloit pulled to within 7-5 with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but reliever Matt Frevert came in to strand runners at the corners and maintain the River Bandits' lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, Quad Cities put the game out of reach. After Robert Stock drew a one-out walk, Bolivar clubbed a two-run homer the other way to make it a 9-5 ballgame. There were two outs when Stidham singled to prolong the inning, while a pair of errors and a wild pitched helped the River Bandits add two more runs to seize an 11-5 lead.

Brad Tippett (9-8) took the loss for Beloit. After tossing eight shutout innings to win his previous start, the Australian right-hander was roughed up for seven runs - five earned - on 10 hits over four innings of work.

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