Cruz goes 3-for-4, homers in losing effort
Published on May 20, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release
The Quad Cities River Bandits fell behind early and never recovered on Wednesday night, allowing five unearned runs over the first two innings and dropping game one of a three game series to the Dayton Dragons, 9-3, at Modern Woodmen Park.
Quad Cities (21-17) got a 3-for-4 performance from Paul Cruz that included his third home run of the year, but the rest of the lineup managed only three hits combined. Despite owning the worst record in the Midwest League, Dayton (13-26) has quietly won four of their last five games.
The Dragons wasted no time jumping on River Bandits starter Adam Veres, capitalizing on a costly error to score four unearned runs in the top of the first. Dave Sappelt drew a leadoff walk and moved to second when third baseman Alex Castellanos stumbled and could not handle a groundball by Byron Wiley. With two outs, four straight Dayton batters reached base. Carlos Mendez scalded a liner to right-center that rolled to the gap for a two-run triple, while Kyle Day singled him home two pitches later. After a walk pushed Day to second, Kevin Coddington singled to left-center for a 4-0 Dragons lead.
Sappelt then led off the second with a base hit and moved to second after a fielding error in center, eventually scoring another unearned run on Wiley's sacrifice fly. Cody Puckett added a solo homer with two outs in the third, giving Dayton a commanding 6-0 advantage.
Quad Cities got on the board in the bottom of the third. After Brett Lilley sent a one-out single to left-center, Paul Cruz turned on a 2-1 pitch and yanked a two-run homer over the ribbon board and into the Tiki Village on the right field berm, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
But that was as close as the River Bandits would get. Dayton got a leadoff double from Puckett in the sixth to spark a three-run rally. Coddington followed with a run-scoring single, while Bandits' reliever Miguel Tapia walked the next three men before Wiley's second sacrifice fly of the night made it 9-2.
Quad Cities tacked on another run in the eighth, thanks again to a rally started by Cruz. The 23-year-old from Florida lined his third hit of the night up the middle, while singles by Charlie Cutler and Osvaldo Morales loaded the bases with one away. Travis Mitchell's run-scoring fielder's choice groundout drove home Cruz to reach the 9-3 final.
Curtis Partch (2-3) picked up the win for the Dragons, allowing just two runs on three hits over six solid innings of work.
Veres (2-1) suffered his first loss of the year for the River Bandits, allowing six runs - one earned - on five hits over four frames.
UP NEXT: The River Bandits continue their season-long 10-game homestand on a Thirst-day Thursday, featuring a special appearance by Carl Edwards' Scotts Miracle-Gro #60 car. Friday will bring a post-game fireworks extravaganza in addition to ALS Association Night and Biker Night, while a Rockin' Saturday rolls in with a Pete Kozma bobblehead giveaway and Habitat for Humanity Night. A U.S. Bank Family Sunday with a Salute to Apples theme in honor of the visiting Fort Wayne TinCaps before the homestand concludes on Monday, May 25, with Senior Citizens Day at a special Noon start time.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: Under new ownership and management in 2008, the Quad Cities River Bandits topped 207,000 fans for only the sixth time in team history and the first time in 12 years. Having recently completed one of the most successful seasons in the history of the franchise - and with a renewed dedication to fans, sponsors and the Quad Cities community - the return of the River Bandits has brought a resurgence of support for the team. Banditwear, season tickets and mini-plans, and individual game tickets are on sale for the 2009 season by calling (563) 3-BANDIT or heading to www.RiverBandits.com. But hurry - good seats are going fast!
Midwest League Stories from May 20, 2009
- A âLoon-y' ending â Kernels win fourth in a row, 3-2, on missed catch - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Bees Pound Silver Hawks In Series Opener - Burlington Bees
- Cougars Drop Opener to Rattlers - Kane County Cougars
- 'Caps top Peoria, 6-2 - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Cruz goes 3-for-4, homers in losing effort - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Kernels Capitalize on Loons Errors - Great Lakes Loons
- Dragons Cruise to Easy Win in Quad Cities - Dayton Dragons
- Chiefs Fall 6-2 Wednesday - Peoria Chiefs
- Rattlers win streak hits six - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Bees Rout Hawks, 11-3 - South Bend Silver Hawks
- Hornbeck heads west - Kane County Cougars
- Shafer to DL; DeLeon Added to Roster - Peoria Chiefs
- Kenny and Casey, This is Your Life - Kane County Cougars
- Former Football Star Joins Dragons - Dayton Dragons
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