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Quad Cities River Bandits

Bandits Exploit Dragons for 11th Straight Win

August 7, 2015 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


DAVENPORT, Iowa - Quad Cities River Bandits center fielder Bobby Boyd was 3-for-4 with a double and a run, and River Bandits pitchers combined to allow hold the Dayton Dragons scoreless after a first-inning run in a 7-1 victory and Quad Cities' 11th straight win in front of 5,003 at Modern Woodmen Park Friday night.

Capitalizing on five Dayton errors to score five unearned runs, the River Bandits (28-13 second half, 73-36) extended their current winning streak to within one of matching their season high of 12 straight wins they posted April 29-May 11. Quad Cities also won its ninth straight home game, although when Dayton scored in the first inning Friday, the River Bandits trailed at home game for the first time since July 18.

Dayton (18-23, 57-54) began the first inning with back-to-back baserunners, as shortstop Cory Thompson was hit by a pitch and second baseman Shed Long singled to center field, advancing Thompson to third base. River Bandits starting pitcher Elieser Hernandez (2-1) got first baseman Paul Kronenfeld to ground out to third, which sent Long to second base. With right fielder Aristides Aquino batting, Hernandez threw a wild pitch allowing Thompson to score for the Dragons. The run was the first allowed in the last 41 1/3 innings by a Quad Cities starting pitcher since Beloit scored twice against Justin Ferrell in the fifth inning July 29.

Hernandez responded by retiring 11 batters in order and going on to pitch five innings, allowing three hits and no walks with five strikeouts. Right-hander Brandon McNitt pitched three shutout innings, and right-hander Jorge Perez pitched a scoreless final frame.

Quad Cities went in order in the first two innings without hitting the ball out of the infield against Dayton starter Tyler Mahle (11-6). However, in the third inning, second baseman Jose Fernandez hit a ground ball that was dropped by Thompson at shortstop, giving Quad Cities its first base runner. The River Bandits wasted no time taking the lead on a first-pitch double by catcher Garrett Stubbs and a first-pitch, two-run single by shortstop Kristian Trompiz, putting Quad Cities ahead, 2-1.

The third-inning rally continued with left fielder Jason Martin's single to right field, where Aquino misplayed the ball, allowing Trompiz to score and Martin to advance to second base on the second Dragons error of the inning. Boyd then collected the first and softest of his three hits - a bunt single up the third-base line that spun past Gavin LaValley and stayed fair, moving Martin to third base. Third baseman Nick Tanielu then flied out to deep left field, deep enough to score Martin from third, making it 4-1, with two of the four runs unearned.

The River Bandits scored in the same innings Dayton committed errors Friday. In the fifth inning, Boyd and Tanielu hit consecutive two-out singles and then executed a double steal attempt, on which Long missed a throw to second base by catcher Garrett Boulware, and Boyd scored an unearned run for a 5-1 Quad Cities lead. Mahle was charged with five runs - two earned - on seven hits and one walk with two strikeouts in six innings, and he lost for the first time in the second half of the season.

In the seventh inning, a rally started with Martin's bunt that Kronenfeld was unable to field at first base, and was the fourth error charged to Dayton. Martin made it to third base on Boyd's double, and scored on a balk by reliever Ty Sterner, making it a 6-1 River Bandits lead.

The last run came in the bottom of the eighth inning, as second baseman Jose Fernandez tripled with two outs and scored on Stubbs' ground ball that went through the LaValley's legs at third base - the fifth and final error on the Dragons - to make it 7-1.

The second game of the series will see right-handers Joshua James (4-2, 2.93) of Quad Cities and Wyatt Strahan (6-8, 2.93) of Dayton match up on the mound for a 6 p.m. first pitch Saturday night at Modern Woodmen Park.

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