MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Hooker provides another solid start

Published on August 29, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Quad Cities River Bandits saw an eighth-inning tie slip away on Friday night, as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers rallied for four runs in the frame to pull off a 6-2 win at Modern Woodmen Park.

Quad Cities (33-34, 66-65) fell below .500 with the loss, wasting another solid outing by 19-year-old right-hander Deryk Hooker. Wisconsin (24-43, 55-78) also got a strong pitching performance, as starter Juan Ramirez led a trio of hurlers that held the River Bandits to just six hits.

The game was even at two runs heading into the top of the eighth, when a throwing error by Domnit Bolivar allowed Wisconsin's Edilio Colina to reach base to open the inning. Joe Dunigan singled through the right side on a hit-and-run to move the runner to third, while Alex Liddi followed with a base hit to left that plated Colina for a 3-2 lead.

Joe White was then hit by a pitch to load the bases while trying to lay down a bunt, and after a strikeout J.D. Stambaugh was removed from the game in favor of Matt Frevert. The new right-hander walked the first man he faced to force in a run and then allowed an RBI-single and a sacrifice fly to fall behind 6-2 before Matt Spade - the third pitcher of the frame - came on to record the third out.

The Timber Rattlers held on from there as Joe Kantakevich (1-3) earned the win with 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. For Quad Cities, Stambaugh (2-5) took the loss courtesy of four runs - two earned - on two hits over 1.2 frames.

Early on, both starting pitchers were cruising until the River Bandits won the race to the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Ross Oeder reached on a two-out single up the middle, and was running one batter later when a groundball to shortstop snuck through the legs of Terry Serrano and into left field. Oeder kept on motoring all the way around third and slid safely around a throw to the plate for a 1-0 lead.

Wisconsin turned the tables with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Serrano made up for his error by opening the inning with a successful drag bunt and eventually coming around on a base hit by Israel Nunez to even the score. One frame later consecutive one-out singles put men at the corners, and a passed ball allowed Dunigan to scamper home from third for a 2-1 Timber Rattlers advantage.

In the bottom of the sixth, the River Bandits struck back. Roberto Espinoza singled up the middle to lead off the inning and moved to third after a balk and a sacrifice bunt. With one away D'Marcus Ingram sent a broken bat grounder to third, but startled by the bat's jagged barrel flying over his head Alex Liddi could not handle the pick-up cleanly and threw high to first as Espinoza scored the game-tying run to even the game at 2-2.

The late action overshadowed a pair of solid pitching performances by the starters. Hooker fanned six and allowed one earned run over 5.2 frames, finishing his Midwest League season with a sparkling 1.61 ERA through four starts for Quad Cities. Meanwhile, Juan Ramirez struck out seven while giving up just one earned run over 6.2 innings for the Timber Rattlers.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits are in the midst of their final homestand of the year, dubbed PRIZE-A-PALOOZA due to the abundance of exciting giveaways! A 6:00 p.m. game on Saturday features a Rick Ankiel Bobblehead Giveaway brought to you by US Cellular and Fox-18 as well as a live post-game concert by "Tri" on a Rockin' Saturday. U.S. Bank Family Sunday follows with a Pepsi T-shirt giveaway before the 5:00 p.m. start and will also include player autographs and the opportunity for kids to run the bases post-game. Last, the 2008 regular season comes to a close with a 1:00 p.m. matinee on Labor Day as Modern Woodmen of America kicks off Life Insurance Awareness Month with a Stadium Replica giveaway. The ballgame will also be FANtastic Fan Appreciation Day, featuring giveaways and prizes throughout the afternoon! Banditwear featuring the team name and logo is currently available by visiting the Modern Woodmen Park team store or by calling (563) 3-BANDITS!

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from August 29, 2008


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