MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Quad Cities Drops Third Straight to Kernels

Published on June 22, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Quad Cities River Bandits had a run on the board before the third batter of the game even came to the plate on Sunday afternoon, but their luck ran out shortly thereafter in a 10-3 loss to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Dale and Thomas Popcorn Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Quad Cities (1-3, 34-34) fell back to an overall record at the .500 mark with their third straight loss, and will look forward to Monday night's 7:00 p.m. return to Davenport for Modern Woodmen Night. Cedar Rapids (3-1, 35-37) rebounded from a series-opening loss on Thursday to win the set with Sunday's romp.

Nick Peoples opened the game with a bang for the River Bandits, swatting a leadoff double off the wall in right-center in the top of the first. Pete Kozma followed with a line-drive single into right field that Julio Perez booted on the pickup attempt, allowing Peoples to round third and head home. Through just two batters, Quad Cities had taken a 1-0 lead.

The lead was short-lived, however, as the Kernels took control in the bottom of the first. Ryan Groth led off the frame with his first of two doubles and moved to third on a throwing error. One pitch later, Andrew Romine brought the runner home on a sacrifice fly that evened the score. With two outs and the bases empty, a single by Jay Brossman and a walk to Clay Fuller kept the inning alive. Perez took advantage, clubbing a three-run homer off the batter's eye in center field to give Cedar Rapids a 4-1 advantage.

The Kernels led 5-1 heading into the fourth, when Paul Vazquez brought Quad Cities a bit closer with one big swing of the bat. The 23-year-old catcher took a 1-0 pitch and belted it deep to left field, clearing the wall for his second homer of the year and pulling the River Bandits to within 5-2.

Cedar Rapids put the game out of reach in the sixth. There was one away when reliever Blake King issued four consecutive walks, forcing in a run and exiting the game with the bases loaded. After a pitching change brought Matt Spade into the contest, Brossman drove in a run on a fielder's choice groundout and Fuller added an RBI-single to push the score to 8-2.

Quad Cities showed signs of life with an eighth-inning rally. Kernels' reliever Ysmael Carmona gave up two singles and two walks while recording just one out in the frame, issuing a free pass to Ross Oeder with the bases loaded that cut the deficit to 8-3. But after another pitching change, Jordan Towns induced an inning-ending double play from Ingram to strand the bases loaded and get out of the jam.

Cedar Rapids added two unearned runs in the eighth to reach the 10-3 final, wrapping up the win for Robert Fish (6-2). The Kernels' left-handed starter allowed two runs on six hits over six frames, knocking off the River Bandits for the second time in as many starts this season. Towns (2) earned the save despite the lopsided final margin, tossing 1.2 innings after entering with an 8-3 lead, one out, and the bases loaded in the eighth.

Mark Diapoules (4-1) suffered his first loss of the year for Quad Cities, unable to recover for the four-spot put up by the Kernels in the first inning. The right-hander allowed a season-high five runs on six hits and an uncharacteristic three walks over four innings of work.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits will cross the City of Davenport's 375-foot temporary bridge to take on the Kane County Cougars at Modern Woodmen Park on Monday, as the ballpark is fully accessible to the public despite being surrounded by water. The homestand opener will also be Modern Woodmen Night, featuring a stadium replica giveaway for the first 4,000 families and a Rascal bobblehead doll for the first 1,500 kids. A Summer Camp Day follows with a special 1:00 p.m. start on a Two-for-Tuesday, while Wednesday will be Survivor Night as well as a Wacky WINS-Day. The series concludes with a Thirst-day Thursday, featuring a FREE DIAMOND for one lucky lady thanks to the Quad-City Times diamond dig! Bandit Wear featuring the new team name and logo is currently available by visiting the Modern Woodmen Park team store, and season ticket packages, mini-packages, and the popular You-Pick-10 Plan are on sale at the park or by calling (563) 3-BANDITS!

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Midwest League Stories from June 22, 2008


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