QC sets season highs for runs and hits, Castillo tosses seven scoreless
Published on August 1, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release
The Quad Cities River Bandits were hitting on all cylinders on Friday night, establishing season highs for runs and hits and improving to a season-best seven games over .500 with an 18-0 shellacking of the Dayton Dragons at Modern Woodmen Park.
Every Quad Cities (23-18, 56-49) position player registered at least one of the team's 18 hits and at least one run, highlighted by Aaron Luna's two-homer, five-RBI night, a four-hit performance by Adron Chambers and Blake Murphy's eighth-inning grand slam. As if the 18 runs were not enough to deal with for a Dayton (24-17, 52-57) squad playing without their manager and three players due to the suspensions handed out from their brawl with Peoria on July 24, they also had to contend with a stellar pitching performance by River Bandits' starter Richard Castillo.
Castillo (6-1) hit the first two batters of the ballgame in the top of the first, but quickly settled into a groove and went on to throw seven shutout innings while allowing just five singles. He tied a career-high with seven strikeouts and did not issue a walk, inducing a pair of double plays to earn his sixth win in just eight Midwest League starts. He allowed only two baserunners to reach scoring position, and none after the fouth.
Meanwhile, the River Bandits burst onto the scoreboard in a big way in the bottom of the second. After Brett Wallace drew a walk and Tommy Pham singled to center, Aaron Luna started the scoring with a three-run homer to left-center. Two outs, later Oliver Marmol sparked another rally by leaning into a pitch and getting hit on the arm. One pitch later he scored all the way from first on a double by D'Marcus Ingram, while Adron Chambers followed with a two-run homer to right to give Quad Cities a 6-0 advantage.
In the fifth inning, the River Bandits went back to work. Chambers singled to left to start the rally and advanced to third on a wild pitch and a groundout. Wallace brought him home with a line-drive single up the middle, while Pham added a triple to the gap in right-center. Luna capped the rally with a run-scoring groundout, stretching the River Bandits lead to 9-0.
Luna went deep for the second time in the seventh inning, blasting a solo shot to left for his fifth RBI of the night.
Already leading by a 10-0 score, the River Bandits exploded for eight runs against Dragons' reliever Derrick Conatser in the eighth, sending 13 men to the plate in the process. The bases were loaded with nobody out when Wallace drove a two-run double to right-center, capping a two-hit night in which he scored three times and drove in three more. One out later the bases were loaded again when Carlos Pupo singled to right, while Blake Murphy followed with an opposite-field grand slam to drive in his first four runs in a Quad Cities uniform.
Marmol then doubled to left-center, eventually scoring on a single by Chambers that stretched the lead to 8-0. Not only did Chambers' base hit equal a River Bandits' season high with an eight-run, seven-hit inning, but it also capped the outfielder's night at 4-for-5 with a homer, three runs scored, and three driven in.
Daniel Guerrero (0-3) suffered the loss for Dayton, roughed up for nine runs on eight hits over 4.1 innings of work.
UP NEXT: The River Bandits continue their homestand with a Rockin' Saturday, featuring Credit Union Night to benefit the Children's Miracle Network followed by a live post-game concert by Wicked Liz and the Bellyswirls. The homestand will wind down on a busy U.S. Bank Family Sunday that will also include a baseball giveaway and Bark in the Park, giving fans the opportunity to bring their dogs out to the ballpark. Bandit Wear featuring the new team name and logo is currently available by visiting the Modern Woodmen Park team store, and prorated versions of season ticket packages, mini-packages, and the popular You-Pick-10 Plan are on sale at the park or by calling (563) 3-BANDITS!
Midwest League Stories from August 1, 2008
- Kernels snap streak vs. Clinton, 4-2 - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Lugnuts win pitcher's duel - Lansing Lugnuts
- Bees Score Eight Runs In Seventh and Defeat Wizards - Burlington Bees
- New Month, New Result for Great Lakes - Great Lakes Loons
- Rattlers comeback falls short - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Snappers three-hit in loss - Beloit Sky Carp
- QC sets season highs for runs and hits, Castillo tosses seven scoreless - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Chiefs and Bees in Series of O'Brien Field Classics - Peoria Chiefs
- Whitecaps drop second straight heartbreaker - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Dragons Lose Big in Quad Cities - Dayton Dragons
- Cougars Return Home, Walk Off in Win - Kane County Cougars
- Chiefs Fall 4-3 Friday Night - Peoria Chiefs
- Jason Jets Outta Here - Kane County Cougars
- Changes coming to The Cove, but will it affect its coziness? - OSC Original by Marc Viquez
- Midwest League Announces Punishments from Last Week's Brawl - Peoria Chiefs
- Midwest League Distributes Fines, Suspensions - MWL1
- Kids Club a No-Brainer for Parents - Beloit Sky Carp
- July Players of the Month Nominees Announced - Dayton Dragons
- River Bandits Continue To Smash Attendance Marks - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Kernels take rubber game, series from Wizards, 6-1 - Cedar Rapids Kernels
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.
