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MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

QC eliminated from playoff contention despite win

September 2, 2009 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


For the second straight game the Quad Cities River Bandits played 12 innings, and for the second straight game Jason Stidham played the role of hero. On Wednesday night, it was a walk-off double plating D'Marcus Ingram that delivered the River Bandits a 2-1 win over the Beloit Snappers at Modern Woodmen Park.

Quad Cities (28-36, 58-76) ended an eight-game road trip with a dramatic 12-inning win in Clinton on Monday, and Stidham's heroics helped the River Bandits open their final homestand of the year in similar fashion on Wednesday. Despite the exciting victory, however, both Quad Cities and Beloit (27-38, 54-81) were officially eliminated from playoff contention due to Burlington's win over Clinton.

Wednesday night's game was tied at 1-1 when a spectacular defensive play got the River Bandits out of a jam in the top of the 12th. With two men on and two men out Dominic De La Osa scorched a groundball to the right side, but first baseman Xavier Scruggs lunged to his right and made a diving stop. From one knee he underhanded the ball to the pitcher covering first, but it took a leaping effort from Jonathan Gonzalez to haul in the high flip and retire De La Osa by a step.

In the bottom of the frame, it looked like the game would continue after Beloit's Tom Wright retired the first two batters of the frame. But Ingram battled to a full count and eventually drew a walk to extend the inning. Stidham followed by lining the first pitch he saw the other way, and the ball caromed off the glove of a diving Ozzie Lewis in left. As the center fielder fired the ball in to the infield, Ingram rounded third and raced home for the game-winning run and a 2-1 final.

Reliever Jonathan Gonzalez (1-2) earned his first River Bandits win after throwing a scoreless top of the 12th. Wright (1-3) took the loss for Beloit, setting down the first five men he faced before a two-out walk and the decisive double did him in.

The flurry of late action overshadowed a pair of great pitching performances during regulation.

The Snappers wasted little time scoring the first run of the night. James Beresford opened the game by slicing a single to left, stealing second and moving to third on a groundout. Aaron Hicks sent a fly ball to left that was caught by Jarred Bogany, but a good throw to the plate took a high hop and bounced over the catcher's head as Beresford slid home for a 1-0 edge.

That score remained until the sixth inning as both starting pitchers asserted their control over the opposing team's offense. Quad Cities starter Eric Fornataro did not allow another run, firing off seven strong innings while allowing just three hits without collecting a strikeout or a walk. Meanwhile, Snappers' lefty Daniel Osterbrock racked up 11 strikeouts over six impressive innings and gave up just one run on four hits.

It took the River Bandits until the bottom of the sixth before they finally broke through against Osterbrock. Just two pitches after Jermaine Curtis drew a one-out walk, Xavier Scruggs blasted a 1-0 pitch off the wall in left field for a run-scoring double that tied the game at 1-1.

UP NEXT: Only two home games remain in 2009 and the last Thirst-day Thursday of the year will also be Tattoo Night, meaning that fans that get a free River Bandits tattoo will be able to show it at the box office for a free berm ticket to any game in 2010. Thursday's game is also scheduled to feature the professional debut of 18-year-old Shelby Miller, the Cardinals' first-round pick in the 2009 draft. Lastly, the 2009 regular season will conclude with Fan Appreciation Night on Friday, featuring the first-ever Bandit Wedding and one last pyrotechnic extravaganza on a Fireworks Friday!

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