Charles, Bullpen Lift Quad Cities to Victory in Pitcher's Duel

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MWL Quad Cities River Bandits

Charles, Bullpen Lift Quad Cities to Victory in Pitcher's Duel

May 28, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


Davenport, Iowa - While Austin Charles delivered the game-winner in the bottom of the tenth, Quad Cities' bullpen struck out eight over 5.0-shutout innings to carry the River Bandits to a 2-1, 10-inning win over the South Bend Cubs on Wednesday night at Modern Woodmen Park.

Prior to the 10th inning, Quad Cities' lineup amassed just one hit, a third-inning single off the bat of Omar Hernandez, which set up Sam Kulasingam's RBI-fielder's choice and a 1-0 Bandits' advantage.

The tally would wind up the only blemish for Cubs' starter Tyler Schlaffer, who twirled a career-high 8.0 innings and allowed just two baserunners with a career-high matching eight strikeouts.

Quad Cities' starter Felix Arronde battled against five hits and three walks, but allowed just one run over a 5.0-inning start, as Jefferson Roas's RBI-double tied the game at 1-1 in the fifth.

After the game-tying poke, the game would not feature another baserunner for the next 25 at-bats, thanks in no small part to the Bandits' relief core. Tommy Molsky silenced South Bend with his first perfect multi-inning outing of the season (2.0 IP), while Zachary Cawyer took the Bandits through the seventh and eighth with four strikeouts and 2.0-scoreless innings of his own.

Although the Bandits failed to break through against the newly entered Luis Rujano in the bottom of the ninth, A.J. Causey kept the zeros coming in the top of the tenth and picked up back-to-back inning-ending strikeouts of Rojas and Cristian Hernandez to strand South Bend's placed runner at third base.

After Carson Roccaforte's botched sacrifice-bunt turned into Quad Cities' second hit and a leadoff single in the bottom of the tenth, Austin Charles lifted an 0-2 pitch to left field, deep enough for placed runner Colton Becker to score and secure the River Bandits 2-1 win, the club's fourth in walk-off fashion this season.

Causey's (6-2) scoreless 10th earned the right-hander his Midwest League-leading sixth win of the season, while Rujano (0-2) was tagged with the loss, despite allowing only the unearned game-winning tally.

Quad Cities continues its six-game series against the Cubs tomorrow night, and sends Drew Beam (4-3, 2.98) to the hill opposite South Bend's Evan Aschenbeck (0-2, 4.01). First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at Modern Woodmen Park.

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics



Midwest League Stories from May 28, 2025


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