Blackburn twirls five-hit masterpiece
July 9, 2004 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release
Quad Cities righty Nick Blackburn allowed only five hits in a complete game shutout Friday night as the Swing of the Quad Cities defeated the Kane County Cougars, 3-0, at Elfstrom Stadium. The first-place Swing have now won eight of their last nine contests, and hold a one-game lead over second-place Clinton entering Saturday's play.
Blackburn was virtually untouchable for the Swing, as he only got in two jams all night long. The righty allowed a leadoff double in the bottom of the sixth inning, but coaxed three straight groundouts to keep the Cougars scoreless. With the Swing up 3-0 in the eighth, the Cougars got a leadoff single. But Blackburn got a double play groundball, Kane County's second of the night, to keep the Cougars at bay.
All told, Blackburn allowed only five hits while striking out four and walking one. The shutout was Blackburn's first in 35 career starts as a professional, and the first nine-inning shutout by a Quad Cities pitcher since Brian Wolfe hurled a three-hitter at Beloit on August 26, 2001. It was the first complete game of the season for a Quad Cities pitcher, and Blackburn's first since he worked seven scoreless innings in a doubleheader game at Wisconsin, August 4, 2003. Before Blackburn's masterpiece, Quad Cities' previous nine-inning complete game came from righthander Manny Tejada, June 15, 2002, at Lansing.
Blackburn has not allowed an earned run in his last 23 innings for the Swing, and has allowed only two earned runs in 27 innings since the All-Star break. With the outing, Blackburn's ERA drops to 2.30, second-best on the Swing and fifth-best in the Midwest League.
The Swing jumped out to the lead in the top of the third inning, scoring twice for the early edge. Paul Rutgers started with an opposite field single, and Ryan Spataro replaced him on a fielder's choice. After an infield single by JR Taylor and a throwing error put runners to second and third, Brock Peterson had a two-run single to left to plate both men for a 2-0 Swing lead.
The Swing added a crucial insurance run in the top of the eighth inning, when Justin Arneson smacked the first pitch of the inning over the wall in left-center. The blast was Arneson's second of the season, and only the third allowed all season long by Cougars reliever Dan Fyvie.
UP NEXT: The Swing and Cougars will continue the series on Saturday, as Chris Schutt (4-5, 3.71) starts for the Swing against Brad Knox (9-3, 2.11). First pitch is scheduled for 6:05, and Great Country 105's pregame coverage starts at 5:50.
NEXT HOME GAME: The Swing return to John O'Donnell Stadium on Wednesday, July 14, to take on the Kane County Cougars. It will be a 97 Rock Beverage Night, sponsored by Hooters and the River Cities Reader. Live music will begin on the party deck at 5:30, and discounted drinks will continue until 8:30. Following the game, a ticket stub from that night's game will be good for 20% off food at Hooters on Wednesday night.
HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH! Tickets for the August 13 HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH concert at John O'Donnell Stadium are now on sale! Tickets can be purchased at the Swing box office, by clicking to www.swingbaseball.com, or by calling (563) 328-3000, or 1-866-MY-TICKET.
Midwest League Stories from July 9, 2004
- Cougars shutout by the Swing, 3 - 0 - Kane County Cougars
- Kernels swat 4 home runs, rout Wisconsin, 9-4 - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Kernels klub Rattlers with four homers - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Kaaihue 9th Inning Homer Lifts Bees - Burlington Bees
- Kaplan Strikes Again, Silver Hawks Beat Dragons 6-1 - Dayton Dragons
- Blackburn twirls five-hit masterpiece - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Streak ends as Lugnuts blow lead in 9th - Lansing Lugnuts
- Swing cruise back into first place - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Yankees lose to Snappers - Southwest Michigan Devil Rays
- Swing news & notes - Quad Cities River Bandits
- From Kernels to Hawkeyes - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Meet the Team, Win a House - Dayton Dragons
- America votes: Lugnuts are #1 minor league nickname - Lansing Lugnuts
- Free fair tickets - Cedar Rapids Kernels
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