MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

River Bandits Lose Fourth Straight on Another Walk-Off

Published on July 28, 2012 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


Despite a strong start by left-hander Dail Villanueva and the first career four-hit game by second baseman Anthony Melchionda, the Quad Cities River Bandits lost a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning and dropped their fourth straight game in a third walk-off defeat this week, this time by the Kane County Cougars, who won 3-2 at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark in Geneva, Ill., Saturday night.

In the ninth inning, River Bandits right-hander Heath Wyatt (4-3) gave up a leadoff single to first baseman Henry Moreno. Designated hitter Dean Espy sacrificed Moreno to second, and Daniel Mateo came on to pinch hit. Mateo drove a triple to center field that scored Moreno and tied the game. It gave Wyatt his fifth blown save this season and first since June 30. With the winning run at third base, Wyatt hit the No. 9 batter, center fielder Tim Ferguson, before striking out second baseman Justin Trapp. With two outs, shortstop Jack Lopez singled to right field to snap the Cougars' four-game losing streak and hand Quad Cities its third walk-off loss in four games.

The River Bandits (16-18 second half, 51-52 overall) dropped their seventh straight series-opening game and matched a season-long four-game losing streak. They fell into a tie with Wisconsin for fourth place in the Western Division second-half race. Kane County (17-17, 51-53) moved into third place, four games behind second-half leader Clinton.

Villanueva held Kane County to five hits and an unearned run in six innings. After lasting a combined six innings in his previous three appearances (two starts), Villanueva had his longest start since July 7. He allowed two first-inning singles, and the Cougars' first run scored when River Bandits third baseman Stephen Piscotty made an errant throw on a ground ball by left fielder Julio Aparicio. After that, Villanueva gave up just three hits and two walks without allowing a runner past second base. He struck out four batters and was helped by two double plays. Right-hander Kyle Barraclough struck out four batters while pitching scoreless seventh and eighth innings.

Quad Cities watched its opponent score first for the eighth straight game but tied the score in the third inning. Melchionda led off with a single to center field and went to third base when shortstop Matt Williams doubled to left field. After a fly out by Piscotty, right fielder David Medina hit a ground ball to first base that brought in Melchionda with the game-tying run.

Melchionda, Williams and Medina teamed up again in the fifth inning to give the River Bandits the lead. With one out, Melchionda and Williams hit back-to-back singles to left field. Piscotty struck out for the second out, but Medina singled to right field for his second RBI that again scored Melchionda and gave the River Bandits a 2-1 advantage - their first lead in four games.

Both River Bandits runs came against Cougars right-hander Kyle Smith, who allowed six hits and two earned runs in five innings. He walked two batters and struck out three. Right-hander Cody Fassold allowed a hit and struck out one batter in two scoreless innings.

Cougars right-hander Jason Mitchell (4-5) allowed three hits and had three strikeouts in the final two scoreless innings. He allowed consecutive ninth-inning singles by Melchionda and Williams, who collected their fourth and third hits of the night, respectively.

The series continues at 5 p.m. Sunday. River Bandits right-hander Willy Paulino (2-8) faces Cougars right-hander Aaron Brooks (8-9).

UP NEXT: All regular tickets are two-for-one when the River Bandits return home at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 31, to continue the inaugural Rivertown Showdown with the Peoria Chiefs. It's a Health and Wellness Night and Dew for Twosday presented by Pepsi, CBS4, WOC and Q106.5. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-322-6348 (563-3-BANDIT) and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from July 28, 2012


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