MWL Quad Cities River Bandits

Cubs Sink Bandits' Bats to Even Series

April 9, 2022 - Midwest League (MWL)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


South Bend, Indiana - The Quad Cities River Bandits stranded eight men in scoring position and struck out 16 times on Saturday night as they fell to the South Bend Cubs 2-1 to even the three-game weekend series at one game apiece.

Pitching dominated from the get-go as Bandits' starter, Noah Murdock and Cubs' starter, DJ Herz combined to allow just five base runners through the first three innings, with the latter collecting five strikeouts before handing the reins to the bullpen for the final two thirds of the game.

Quad Cities had no trouble rallying in the fourth against Herz's replacement, Max Bain as Luca Tresh's leadoff single was followed by the first of two Kale Emshoff hit-by-pitches. After a Herard Gonzalez walk loaded the bases with two outs, Juan Carlos Negret drove in his first High-A RBI with a single to left. However, Bain would induce an inning-ending double-play off the bat of Parker Bates to limit the Bandits to a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom half of the frame, South Bend broke through for the first time and tagged Murdock for the game-tying run, using an Alexander Canario leadoff double to set up Pablo Aliendo's RBI single.

After another double-play halted a brief Bandits' rally in the fifth against Bain, Quad Cities loaded the bases with no outs against newly entered Bradford Depperman, but the righty regained his command and struck out the bottom third of the Q.C. lineup in order to strand all three runners aboard.

Taking over for Murdock, who in his return to the mound worked 4.0 innings of one-run ball, Emilio Marquez started his 2022 debut with a one-two-three fifth, before a pair of South Bend one-out singles led to Matt a Mervis sacrifice fly one inning later, which plated Yohendrick Pinango's go-ahead run and a 2-1 Cubs lead.

Quad Cities notched two runners against reliever Jose Albertos, but the right-hander struck out Emshoff to strand Tresh's two-out double in the seventh and got Negret to ground into a twin-killing to stand Dillan Shrum on third in the eighth.

The bullpen continued to keep Quad Cities in the game, with Patrick Smith working around a hit and a walk in the bottom of the eighth, but South Bend's Jeremiah Estrada struck out the side in the top of the ninth to secure a save and the Cubs' first victory of the season.

Despite giving up just one run over 3.0 innings, Marquez (0-1) took the loss for the River Bandits, while Depperman's (1-0) single scoreless frame was enough to earn the win for South Bend.

Quad Cities will send lefty Tyson Guerrero (0-0) to hill for the Sunday rubber match, as he'll toe the rubber against South Bend's Kohl Franklin (0-0). First pitch at Four Winds Field is scheduled for 2:05pm ET.

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics



Midwest League Stories from April 9, 2022


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