Rattlers fall to Bandits
Published on August 21, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers News Release
GRAND CHUTE, WI -- The Quad Cities River Bandits broke a 3-3 tie on a Tommy Pham RBI single in the top of the eighth inning. They would go on to a 5-3 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Thursday night on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. River Bandit starting pitcher Ryan Kulik matched a career high for strikeouts and picked up the victory.
Wisconsin (20-39 second half, 51-74 overall) got on the scoreboard first with Joe White's RBI single in the bottom of the second inning. White would collect three of Wisconsin's 12 hits on the night.
Quad Cities (30-29, 63-60) rallied to take the lead with two runs in the top of the third. Francisco Rivera singled in the first run. The River Bandits got their second run of the inning when Daniel Carroll lost track of a shallow fly ball off the bat of Curt Smith. There were runners at the corners when the ball dropped into center field. Wisconsin got a force out at second, but the go ahead run scored from third.
Carroll made up for his miscue with a big hit in the bottom of the third. Carroll lined a home run off the scoreboard above the wall in left-center to tie the game 2-2. The homer was the first in Carroll's professional career.
Wisconsin took the led later in the third inning. Alex Meneses followed Carroll's homer with a double. Alex Liddi singled and Meneses scored to put the Rattlers up 3-2.
Quad Cities evened the game with an unearned run in the top of the fifth. Niko Vasquez reached second base on a throwing error by shortstop Juan Diaz to start the inning. A grounder moved Vasquez to third and a two-out wild pitch allowed him to score the tying run.
Domnit Boliva tripled with one out in the top of the eighth inning. Then, Pham blooped a single over the drawn-in infield to drive in the run that put the River Bandits up 4-3.
Kulik, the 8th round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2008 draft, turned the game over to the Quad Cities bullpen after that run. Kulik scattered 11 hits and struck out nine over seven innings without walking a batter.
The River Bandits tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Oliver Marmol doubled to start the inning. A two-out double by Rivera scored Marmol to make the score 5-3.
Matt Spade, who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning with two strikeouts, allowed a leadoff single to White in the bottom of the ninth. But, he righted himself by retiring the final three batters, including two via strikeout, to get his first save.
The win will keep Quad Cities no worse than three games behind Cedar Rapids for the second half Western Division Wild Card spot in the Midwest League playoff race.
Game two of the series is Friday night. Michael Pineda (7-5, 2.08) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Quad Cities will send Jared Bradford (2-2, 3.62 to the hill)
Midwest League Stories from August 21, 2008
- Chiefs Fall to Kernels 6-2 in Series Opener - Peoria Chiefs
- Cougars Take First Game of Final Homestand - Clinton LumberKings
- Bees Open Final Home Stand With Win over Beloit - Burlington Bees
- Rattlers fall to Bandits - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Kulik fires off seven strong, Bolivar hits big triple - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Cougars Start Road Trip with Win - Kane County Cougars
- Henry is Whitecaps' ninth inning hero - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Bottom of Ninth Rally Dooms Dragons, 6-5 - Dayton Dragons
- Defense departs Lugnuts in 7-3 loss - Lansing Lugnuts
- Infield Struggles Help Silver Hawks to 6-5 Win - Great Lakes Loons
- Chiefs Right Hander Coleman Promoted to Daytona - Peoria Chiefs
- Two Draft Picks Join Bandits - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Season Tickets, Fireworks Higlight Final LumberKings Homestand - Clinton LumberKings
- Dragons Activate Montano - Dayton Dragons
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