Sports stats



MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

McCormick sparkles in doubleheader split

July 27, 2005 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


Supplemental first-rounder picks up victory in opener; Brignac's triple play seals loss in nightcap

The Swing of the Quad Cities split Wednesday's doubleheader with Southwest Michigan, taking game one, 3-2, before being blanked, 6-0, in the nightcap at John O'Donnell Stadium. 43rd overall draft pick Mark McCormick was the big story, carrying a shutout into the seventh inning of game one en-route to his first professional win.

The split for Quad Cities (20-13, 56-46) combined with a Burlington loss puts the Swing back into a first place tie with the Bees in the MWL-West, who have lost two in a row after an 11-game winning streak. Southwest Michigan (18-15, 51-51) drops one game behind first place West Michigan in the East.

McCormick (1-0), one of the Cardinals' two supplemental first round picks in June's draft, hurled a career-high 6.1 innings with a career-high 8 strikeouts, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk. After dominating the Devil Rays through six frames, the Baylor product walked the leadoff hitter in the seventh before allowing a one-out double to bring the potential game-tying run to the plate. One batter later McCormick watched from the dugout as Jason Cairns allowed a two-run double, the first runs charged against the rookie in his 18-inning professional career.

Cairns then picked up his sixth save of the season, inducing a groundout and a pop-out to preserve the Swing's one-run victory.

The Swing jumped out to the lead in the bottom of the first inning, taking advantage of timely hitting and some control problems from Southwest Michigan starter Matt Larson. Juan Lucena singled into shallow left, Matt Lemanczyk had a groundball single to right, and Matt Shepherd dropped a single into center to load the bases. Rick Ankiel then grounded out to bring home Lucena, and Nick Stavinoha and Chris Patrick drew back-to-back walks to score Lemanczyk for a 2-0 Swing lead.

What turned out to be a critical insurance run crossed the plate in the bottom of the sixth. Eric Verbryke doubled with one out against reliever Nathan Cromer, and stood at second with two away when Lucena lined an RBI single into left. That pushed the Quad Cities advantage to 3-0, and proved to be the game's decisive run.

For Southwest Michigan it was Matt Larson (3-3) picking up the loss in the spot start, allowing two runs in four innings in only his second start of the season through 24 appearances.

In the second game, the Devil Rays took the lead in the top of the third inning. With one out, spot starter Dennis Medina surrendered a single and a walk before Shaun Cumberland ripped a three-run homer over the grass berm in right, his ninth homer of the season and the first allowed by Medina on the year.

The Swing's best chance came in the bottom of the fourth inning, but ended in dramatic fashion. Patrick drew a leadoff walk, and Stavinoha reached when Reid Brignac fumbled a tailor-made double play ball. But the Devil Rays' shortstop made up for it with men at first and second, when Eric Verbryke hit a line drive up the middle. Brignac, who was playing towards second base, ranged to his left and made the backhanded catch. He immediately stepped on second base and fired a strike to first, ahead of the diving Stavinoha, to complete the triple play.

Southwest Michigan added three more in the sixth inning, well on their way to the 6-0 victory.

Dennis Medina (1-2) suffered the loss in his first start of the season, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk in three innings while fanning four.

For the Devil Rays it was James Houser (1-2) tallying the win in his first game back from the Disabled List, after five scoreless frames and six strikeouts. Richard De Los Santos came on for the final two innings, and added five strikeouts to the tally. In a stretch that started in the fifth inning, the two hurlers combined to record eight consecutive outs via the punchout.

UP NEXT: The Swing and Devil Rays close out the series on Thursday night, as the Swing send righty Matt Scherer (7-5, 3.39) to the mound against Eddie de la Cruz (4-2, 5.79). First pitch is scheduled for 7:00, and pre-game coverage on WKBF AM-1270 will begin at 6:45.

PROMOTION: Thursday's game will feature participants in the Swing's summer reading program. Tickets are available for all Swing games by calling (563) 328-2000.

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics



Midwest League Stories from July 27, 2005


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



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central