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MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

QC uses three home runs for ninth win in their last ten games

June 8, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Swing of the Quad Cities blasted three home runs and coasted to a 7-3 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels Thursday night at John O'Donnell Stadium, improving their record to an even .500 for the first time since April 24. The last time the Swing homered three times in a game was also April 24, when they improved to 9-9 with an 11-inning win at Fort Wayne.

Quad Cities (29-29) made up ground on both Burlington and Beloit Thursday, but remains four games behind Peoria for the second playoff berth in the Western Division despite having won nine of their last ten games. Cedar Rapids (26-35) continues to fade in the division, losing their sixth game in a row.

Quad Cities was trailing 1-0 in the third inning when they turned the tables on the Kernels with a couple of longballs. With one out Simon Williams pulled the first pitch he saw along the left field foul line, sending it onto the berm just inside the poll. After blasting six home runs in a Swing uniform in 2005 - and five dingers with Palm Beach in his first 26 games of 2006 - it was his first for Quad Cities this season. After a Henry Guerrero single, Daniel Nelson flexed his muscle as well. The leadoff hitter, who entered the season without a single bomb in his pro career, quickly broke into his home run trot after launching a two-run bomb over the wall in right-center for a 3-1 Swing advantage.

The power surge continued in the bottom of the fifth inning. Leading off the inning Guerrero slapped a full-count pitch to the opposite field, watching it carry past a leaping Madison Edwards for another home run and a 4-1 lead.

Quad Cities put three insurance runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth. With Casey Rowlett at first and one out Randy Roth, Jose Martinez, and Luis Cotto checked in with consecutive singles as the Swing rallied for a comfortable 7-1 score.

Despite a pair of unearned runs by Cedar Rapids in the ninth, the Swing held on for the win. After taking the first three games of the set they will look for their first series sweep Friday night.

Cory Meacham (5-3) earned the win with another strong performance, allowing one run on six hits in six innings of work. The native of Deatsville, Alabama tied a career-high with six strikeouts, a feat he first accomplished against the Kernels on May 28.

Reliever Matt Trent came on in the seventh inning and retired all four batters he faced while racking up a pair of strikeouts. The flame-throwing righthander has registered at least one strikeout in his last 22 outings after going without one in his first appearance of the year. He has struck out six and retired all 13 batters he has faced over 4.1 innings of work this series, and has posted an impressive 0.68 ERA with 21 strikeouts and just one walk over his last eight appearances (13.1 IP).

Andy Hill (1-2) took the loss for Cedar Rapids in his third start of the season. The tall righty set down the first eight batters he faced before the home run by Williams in the third, allowing four runs on six hits in seven innings.

UP NEXT: The Swing of the Quad Cities will finish out their series with the Cedar Rapids Kernels Friday, as LHP Adam Daniels (2-4, 4.03) is slated to take the mound against RHP Nick Adenhart (7-2, 2.17). First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., with coverage on Progressive Talk AM-1270 beginning at 6:45 p.m.

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics



Midwest League Stories from June 8, 2006


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