
Hernandez Perfect in Debut, Quad Cities Drops Series Opener to South Bend
July 19, 2024 - Midwest League (MWL)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release
South Bend, Indiana - Former second-round pick Ben Hernandez threw a perfect inning in his High-A debut, but the Quad Cities River Bandits lost game one of their three-game series to the South Bend Cubs 8-1 on Friday night at Four Winds Field.
Although the Bandits would score the first run of the game, taking a 1-0 lead on Jean Ramirez's RBI-walk in the top of the second, Quad Cities would fail to score for the remainder of the night, stranding nine men on base and batting just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
South Bend wasted no time answering the opening salvo in the bottom of the frame and tied the game against Bandits' starter Ben Kudrna on Ethan Hearn's RBI-triple.
The Cubs then posted their first of two multi-run innings, jumping in front 4-1 with a three-run third, which featured RBI-singles from Jefferson Rojas and Parker Chavers. Ed Howard drove in a run on a groundout.
While Kudrna (4-5) would settle down and pitch a scoreless fourth and fifth inning- even striking out the side in his final frame- the Cubs tagged the right-hander with the loss and four hits on a season-high eight hits.
Cubs' starter Erian Rodriguez only lasted 2.0 innings, but was followed by Chase Watkins (4-1), who earned the win with a scoreless inning, and Nico Zeglin, who tossed 3.0-scorless innings and earned a hold in his Midwest League debut.
Jose Romero (1.0 IP) and Marino Santy (2.0 IP) also worked scoreless outings out of the Cubs' bullpen.
South Bend tacked on four more against Chase Isbell in the sixth, extending the lead to 8-1 on RBI-singles from Reivaj Garcia, Brett Bateman, and Pedro Ramirez. The right-hander was forced from the game after recording just one out.
A.J. Block put a stop to the Cubs' rally and completed the sixth before tossing a scoreless seventh.
Hernandez finished on the night on the hill for Quad Cities and, in his High-A debut, twirled a one-two-three bottom of the eighth with a pop up and a pair of groundouts.
Quad Cities will look to avoid its ninth series loss of the season on Saturday and sends Henry Williams (2-4, 4.48) to the mound opposite Jaxon Wiggins (0-0, 0.00), who is scheduled to make his first appearance as a South Bend Cub. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.
• Discuss this story on the Midwest League message board...
Midwest League Stories from July 19, 2024
- Hernandez Perfect in Debut, Quad Cities Drops Series Opener to South Bend - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Loons Launch Three Homers in 4-2 Win Over Lugnuts - Great Lakes Loons
- Beloit Bests Peoria Following All-Star Layoff - Peoria Chiefs
- Sky Carp Begin 'Second Half' with Win - Beloit Sky Carp
- 'Caps Blank Dragons, 3-0 - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Fresh Off Futures Game, Morales Dominates in Lugs' Loss - Lansing Lugnuts
- Cedar Rapids Stops Rattlers' Six-Game Win Streak with Late Rally - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Pitching, Small Ball Leads Kernels Over Timber Rattlers 2-1 - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Dragons Offense Limited to Two Hits in 3-0 Loss to West Michigan - Dayton Dragons
- Buelvas and Johnson Promoted, 2nd-Rounder Lasko Joins Nuts - Lansing Lugnuts
- Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Friday (6:35 PM at West Michigan) - Dayton Dragons
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Quad Cities River Bandits Stories
- Modern Woodmen Park Three-Peats as Nation's "Best Minor League Ballpark"
- River Bandits Release 2025 Promotional Schedule
- Modern Woodmen Park Receives Third-Straight Nomination for Best Ballpark
- Julia McNeil Named River Bandits General Manager
- River Bandits Announce 2025 Coaching Staff

