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MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

QC Puts on Show for Another Packed House

July 3, 2009 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


A record crowd at Modern Woodmen Park was treated to a masterful pitching performance by Hector Cardenas on Friday night, as the lefty fired off seven dominant frames to lead the Quad Cities River Bandits to a 4-1 win over the Burlington Bees on Independence Day eve.

Quad Cities (4-4, 34-44) capped off the two-day Independence Day blowout with a boisterous crowd of 7,538, marking the largest single-game attendance since the ballpark's renovation following the 2003 season and bringing the two-day total to 14,517. The victory also salvaged a four-game split against Burlington (4-4, 33-45), thanks in large part to Cardenas and a pair of two-run innings in the fifth and sixth.

Cardenas (6-4) stole the show, twirling seven stifling innings while allowing just one run on five hits. He struck out four without issuing a walk to become the first River Bandits hurler to throw seven innings in a ballgame, keeping the Bees off balance and throwing 57 of his 87 pitches for strikes.

The only run against him crossed the plate in the second inning. On back-to-back pitches, Fernando Garcia doubled to right and Juan Rivera looped a run-scoring single to put Burlington ahead, 1-0.

But as Cardenas settled in, Quad Cities rallied against Bees' starter Manauris Baez in the middle innings.

Baez had faced the minimum through four shutout frames of one-hit ball when Matt Carpenter singled to lead off the fifth. An error allowed Osvaldo Morales to reach base, while a passed ball advanced the runners to second and third. Jon Edwards followed with the big blow of the ballgame, a two-run double to right-center that surged the River Bandits ahead to a 2-1 lead.

One inning later, Quad Cities went back to work. Frederick Parejo lined a single to left to open the frame and promptly motored around the bases to score after Charlie Cutler split the gap in left-center with a two-base hit. Two batters later, Carpenter laced a double of his own down the right field line to stretch the River Bandits lead to 4-1.

Cardenas eventually handed the game over to the bullpen, but Joel Pichardo and Dave Carpenter picked up right where he left off. Both worked seamless 1-2-3 frames, with Pichardo sailing through the eighth before Carpenter (5) locked down the ninth for his fifth save of the year.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits will hop on the bus and head to Cedar Rapids for a four-game series with the Kernels beginning on Saturday, but will return to Modern Woodmen Park for a six-game homestand against the Lansing Lugnuts and Clinton LumberKings beginning on Wednesday, July 8.

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics



Midwest League Stories from July 3, 2009


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