MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Bandits earn split on heels of 11-run onslaught

Published on June 4, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Quad Cities River Bandits offense was determined to leave Pohlman Field with no less than a series split on Wednesday evening, responding with an answer for every comeback attempt that the Beloit Snappers threw their way in an 11-6 win.

Quad Cities (30-27) got a hit from eight of their nine starters and a run from seven of them, as three River Bandits' hitters drove in multiple runs. Beloit (31-28) committed six errors and fell back into a third-place tie with Quad Cities in the standings, as both teams trail Kane County by 4.5 games with 11 to play in the race for the first-half Western Division Wild Card playoff spot.

The Snappers started the scoring in the first inning thanks to the glove, bat, and wheels of Ben Revere, the Minnesota Twins' first-round pick in 2007. The speedy center fielder wowed the crowd by racing into the left-center gap and making a spectacular diving catch against the first batter of the game. He followed that up with a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, eventually coming around to score on a two-out passed ball to put Beloit ahead by a 1-0 score.

It did not take long, however, for the River Bandits to take control. With a man on and nobody out in the top of the second, Matt Arburr connected for his team-high eighth home run of the year, a two-run shot the other way to right-center. One inning later Quad Cities capitalized on three Snappers errors, as Pete Kozma and Paul Vazquez each checked in with RBI-singles to give the River Bandits a 4-1 lead.

After Revere walked and scored again in the third inning, Quad Cities added a pair of runs in the fourth. Osvaldo Morales and Mike Folli reached base on consecutive one-out singles, and then pitcher Michael Tarsi tried to pick off Morales at second. The throw sailed wide into center and then was bobbled by Revere for a two-error play, allowing Morales to score and Folli to advance to second. Folli went on to steal third base and score on an infield chopper by Jose Garcia, pushing the River Bandits' lead to 6-2.

The score was 6-4 when Quad Cities went back to work in the sixth, notching three consecutive hits to open the inning. Tommy Pham started it off with a groundball through the hole on the left side, and after moving to second on a wild pitch he was brought in by Domnit Bolivar's run-scoring base hit up the middle. Bolivar advanced to second on a stolen base, and then trotted home on a double by Morales that made it 8-4, Quad Cities.

The Snappers rallied to pull within an 8-6 margin in the sixth, and were threatening again with men at the corners and just one out in the bottom of the seventh. But with Joe Benson running on a 3-2 pitch Eduardo Sanchez struck out Danny Lehmann, and Paul Vazquez fired down to second to cut down Benson and get out of the jam with the two-run lead intact.

In the very next half inning, Quad Cities put the game away. Singles by Morales and Folli and a walk to Jose Garcia helped load the bases with one out, and Kozma's sacrifice fly padded the River Bandits' lead while advancing all three runners 90 feet. Nick Peoples followed with a two-run single up the middle, making it 11-6 Quad Cities.

Wayne Daman (2-1) earned the win out of the bullpen for the River Bandits, retiring all four batters he faced to bridge the gap from starter Thomas Eager to his piggyback partner, Sanchez. Pete Parise finished things off with 1.1 perfect innings, striking out the side in the ninth.

Tarsi (3-7) took the loss for the Snappers, roughed up for six runs - two earned - on seven hits over five innings of work.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits are in the midst of an eight-game road trip that travels north on Thursday and continues with a four-game series against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. They return to Davenport on June 9 for a seven-game homestand against Peoria and Beloit that stretches into the All-Star break, and will feature promotions such as Incredible Hulk Night, Elvis Night, and a Bettendorf Life Fitness Center Stadium Cup Giveaway to name a few! Bandit Wear featuring the new team name and logo is currently available by visiting the Modern Woodmen Park team store, and season ticket packages, mini-packages, and the popular You-Pick-10 Plan are on sale at the park or by calling (563) 3-BANDITS

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from June 4, 2008


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