Racobaldo Rocks Game-Winning Homer In 12th
August 25, 2009 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release
Rich Racobaldo picked a good time for his first hit of the game on Tuesday night, blasting a two-run homer in the 12th inning to provide the game-winning hit in the Quad Cities River Bandits' 9-6 win over the Peoria Chiefs at O'Brien Field.
Quad Cities (25-32, 55-72) slugged three home runs while snapping a four-game losing streak, as Xavier Scruggs also went deep and drove in four runs to power the comeback. Peoria (35-22, 73-53) led for the first seven innings only to fall behind in the eighth, but overcame two separate late deficits before finally succumbing to the Bandits' furious rally.
The score was tied at 6-6 in the top of the 12th when D'Marcus Ingram beat out an infield single to lead off the inning. The runner was bunted to second before advancing to third on a wild pitch, forcing the infield to come in with one out. That is when Racobaldo stepped up to the dish, shrugging off a hitless night to work the count full before slugging a two-run homer to left that proved to be the game-winner. After adding an unearned run, the River Bandits emerged from the inning with a 9-6 lead.
Joel Pichardo (3-1) picked up the win, tossing scoreless frames in the 11th and 12th and striking out three. Erik Hamren (3-4) suffered the loss for Peoria, nearly taking the loss in the 10th inning before being saddled with defeat in the 12th.
Quad Cities entered play having lost seven of their last eight games, and things did not look good after they fell behind 3-0 following the first three innings of play.
But the River Bandits started the comeback with single runs in the fourth and fifth.
Chiefs' starter Jeff Antigua retired the first 10 batters he faced, a stretch that was broken up by Jarred Bogany's one-out double in the fourth. After the runner stole third with two outs, a bouncing ball single by Scruggs put the River Bandits on the board. Leading off the fifth, Ryde Rodriguez added a towering, tape-measure home run that reached the street beyond the netting in left field and pulled Quad Cities to within 3-2.
Brett Jackson's solo homer in the fifth gave Peoria a 4-2 cushion, but the River Bandits erased it with a rally in the eighth. Jason Stidham entered the game as a pinch hitter and delivered a leadoff double, eventually moving to third on a base hit by Bogany. The Chiefs went to the bullpen and brought in Manolin DeLeon for the second time in as many nights, and the right responded by striking out Racobaldo for the second out of the frame. But his first pitch to Scruggs was blasted out of the yard to center field, and the three-run homer suddenly catapulted Quad Cities to a 5-4 advantage.
D.J. LeMahieu tied the game at 5-5 with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth that ultimately forced extra innings. Each team scored single runs in the 10th inning to keep the game alive before the River Bandits ended the night in the 12th.
UP NEXT: The River Bandits continue an eight-game road stretch with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on Wednesday night in Peoria, but will be back at Modern Woodmen Park for the final three regular season home games of the year from September 2-4. The action resumes with a Modern Woodmen Half-Price night on Wednesday, September 2, as the first 1,000 fans will get a special River Bandits hat and the famous Klement's racing sausages will be in attendance. The last Thirst-day Thursday of the year will also be Tattoo Night, and 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! Lastly, the 2009 regular season will conclude with Fan Appreciation Night on Friday, September 4, featuring the first-ever Bandit Wedding and one last pyrotechnic extravaganza on a Fireworks Friday!
Midwest League Stories from August 25, 2009
- Bees Continue Hot Streak Winning Two Games in One Night - Burlington Bees
- Racobaldo Rocks Game-Winning Homer In 12th - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Chiefs Blow Late Lead, Then Falter 9-6 in 12 innings - Peoria Chiefs
- Cougars Claim Third Straight Victory - Kane County Cougars
- Bees Keep Buzzing - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Loons Pound Carter, TinCaps for 12-5 Rout - Great Lakes Loons
- Goins, Lugnuts Walk-Off Whitecaps, 4-3 - Lansing Lugnuts
- Caps' Fall in Ninth - West Michigan Whitecaps
- TinCaps Fall to Loons - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Hawks Score 2 in 9th to Beat Dragons, 4-3 - Dayton Dragons
- Elmore and Hawks Walk Off with Win, Lead - South Bend Silver Hawks
- Sudden Ending - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Rock Chalk Jayhawk Goes Cougar - Kane County Cougars
- Whitecaps Try to Break the Curse of Bobby Layne - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Four Chiefs on MWL All-Star Team, Pevey Named Co-Manager of Year - Peoria Chiefs
- Brach, Dascenzo on Post-Season All-Star Team - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Chiefs Add Bautista to Roster; Rosa to DL - Peoria Chiefs
- Amarista and Taylor named to MWL Post Season All-Star Team - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Gordon Sprints Away with League Honors - Great Lakes Loons
- Dragons Playoff Ticket Sales to Begin Thursday - Dayton Dragons
- Dragons Gameday August 25th - Dayton Dragons
- Two Whitecaps Named to Postseason All-Star Team - West Michigan Whitecaps
- 2009 Midwest League Post Season All-Star Team - MWL1
- Rozema Replaces Wilcox for Upcoming Wendy's Tiger Friday - West Michigan Whitecaps
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