MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Bees Ride Pitching to Another Win

Published on August 17, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Quad Cities River Bandits' playoff aspirations took another hit on Sunday evening with a 4-2 loss to the Burlington Bees at Modern Woodmen Park.

Quad Cities (29-27, 62-58) slipped to 5.5 games behind the first-place Bees and two games behind the second-place Cedar Rapids Kernels, remaining a player in the battle for a second-half playoff spot but running out of time with just 14 games remaining in the regular season. Burlington (34-21, 64-60) has won the first two games of the four-game series while improving their August record to a league-best 12-4.

The story of the game was the Bees pitching, as starter Danny Gutierrez and reliever Brandon Sisk (1-1) combined to stifle the River Bandits offense while racking up 14 strikeouts. Gutierrez fanned eight and allowed just two unearned runs on two hits over 5.2 frames, while Sisk snatched the win with 3.1 strong innings of relief that included six punchouts and four hits.

Meanwhile, the Burlington offense jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first. Johnny Giavotella and Mike Moustakas collected consecutive singles while Jason Taylor drew a walk to load the bases with one away. Clint Robinson sent a hard-hit ball to the right side of the infield that was snagged on a dive by first baseman Carlos Pupo, who threw to second for a force out as Giavotella raced home from third. Jamar Walton then grounded out to end the inning and strand two men aboard, but not before the Bees had taken a 1-0 lead.

The River Bandits did not record a hit or a run until a fourth-inning rally gave the home team a lead. Brett Wallace reached base on an error to open the frame and moved to third on a single by Tommy Pham. Francisco Rivera made it back-to-back knocks with a base hit to center that plated Wallace and tied the score, while Carlos Pupo made it 2-1 River Bandits with a run-scoring groundout moments later.

The lead was short lived, however, as David Lough stepped to the plate with one out in the fifth and smacked the first pitch he saw out of the yard for a game-tying solo homer. Two innings later Ryan Eigsti took Quad Cities starter Richard Castillo's 100th pitch of the night and launched a towering solo shot to left that cleared the fence for a 3-2 Burlington lead.

The Bees added an insurance run against the Quad Cities bullpen in the eighth. Giavotella led off with a single against Matt Spade and stole second base before a pitching change brought Eduardo Sanchez into the game. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Giavotella scored on a sacrifice fly by Robinson that pushed the score to 4-2.

Castillo (6-4) suffered the loss despite a quality start for the River Bandits. The 18-year-old righty allowed three runs on six hits over 6.2 frames, striking out six and walking two but yielding his 10th and 11th homers through 11 starts this year. He responded to Burlington's first-inning run by setting down 12 of the next 14 batters he faced, a stretch that was broken up by Lough's game-tying homer in the fifth. Two frames later, his final pitch of the night - an 0-2 offering to Eigsti - was swatted out of the yard for the game-winning run.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits continue their homestand against the first-place Burlington Bees on Monday night with a Battle of the Mascots on a Margarita Monday, while the series concludes with a ballcap giveaway on another Modern Woodmen Half-Price Night Tuesday. Bandit Wear featuring the new team name and logo is currently available by visiting the Modern Woodmen Park team store, and prorated versions of 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 August 17, 2008


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