Sports stats



MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Roth homers in 11th as Swing win

April 24, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Swing of the Quad Cities won a thriller at Memorial Stadium Monday night, scoring a pair in the 11th inning and splitting the four game series with the Fort Wayne Wizards thanks to a 6-5 win. Colby Rasmus, Matt Wilkerson, and Randy Roth all homered for Quad Cities, with Roth's longball putting the Swing out in front for good.

Quad Cities (9-9) climbs back up to .500 with the win, while Fort Wayne falls to 10-7. The Swing sent eight of the 14 pitchers used in the game to the mound, as only Trey Hearne was left in the bullpen when it was all said and done.

With the score tied at four heading into the 11th, Roth wasted no time in giving the Swing their first lead of the game. The slugging third baseman turned on the first pitch he saw from Joel Santo, lifting it high into the night sky for his third home run of the series and sixth of the season. Roth has terrorized Midwest League pitching on the road, where he has recorded 18 of his 21 hits, all six of his longballs, all 13 of his extra-base hits, and 15 of his 16 RBI. The 2005 10th-rounder's only RBI at John O'Donnell Stadium this season came on a 10th inning, game-winning hit against Dayton on April 19.

The Swing picked up a much-needed insurance run later in the frame when Bryan Anderson crossed the plate ahead of a throw by Mike Baxter on a sacrifice fly by Calvin Hayes. Anderson, who drew one of three walks issued by Santo in the inning, gave Quad Cities a 6-4 advantage.

Things stayed interesting in the bottom of the 11th, when Scott Vander Weg came on to lock up the save. Two infield singles put runners on first and second, and Seth Johnston plated one of them with his fourth RBI of the night on a groundball single through the right side. With the potential game-tying run at second base, however, Vander Weg induced a fielder's choice groundout to the shortstop to close the door on his fourth save of the season in as many attempts.

Fort Wayne took an early 1-0 lead in the first, as a one-out pitch by starter Phillip Andersen hit Johnston on the left shoulder. The Wizards' second baseman was standing at second base with two outs when Nick Hundley drove him in with a soft blooper that dropped down in shallow center field.

In the top of the third, the Swing got even. With two outs Rasmus spoiled a number of pitches from Grant Varnell before slugging the seventh offering of the sequence over the scoreboard atop the rightfield wall. The longball was the second of the season for the 28th overall pick in the 2005 draft, who is now hitting .429 during a six-game hitting streak.

Things would take a turn for the worse, though, in the fourth. Andersen, who had navigated nine consecutive batters without allowing a hit, threw his glove to the ground and winced in pain after missing the zone with a 1-2 pitch to Kyle Blanks. With one out, he would leave the ballgame with what appeared to be an injury to his right forearm.

Kyle Sadlowski entered the game in relief, and gave up a single to Blanks. With two outs he issued two consecutive walks, setting the stage for Johnston to poke a bases loaded, three-run double down the right field line to give Fort Wayne a 4-1 lead.

In the seventh, Quad Cities battled back yet again. Wilkerson slapped on opposite-field home run to lead off the inning, pulling the Swing to within 4-2. Brandon Yarbrough singled up the middle, and after a pitching change Wes Swackhamer drew a pinch-hit walk with one out. Daniel Nelson's single loaded the bases, and Rasmus came through with his second game-tying hit of the evening. The 19-year-old center fielder lined a two-run single over the head of Johnston at second, evening the score at 4-4 and setting the stage for the dramatic extra-inning win.

Matt Trent (1-0) was the winner, hurling a 1-2-3 tenth inning with one strikeout. Andersen allowed one run on three hits before being removed after 3.1 innings of work, as the Swing bullpen combined to allow three runs over 7.2 innings with Vander Weg (4) finishing the job.

Joel Santo (0-2) was the loser for Fort Wayne, picking up his second loss in as many appearances against Quad Cities. In 2.1 innings over two appearances this series, the Dominican righthander was roughed up for seven runs on five hits and five walks, serving up a pair of home runs to Roth.

UP NEXT: The Swing will head back home to open up a series with the Beloit Snappers Tuesday night, sending LHP Adam Daniels (1-2, 5.63) to the mound against LHP Ryan Mullins (0-0, 5.17). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30, and pre-game coverage on WKBF AM-1270 will begin at 6:15.

NEXT HOMESTAND: The Swing will return to John O'Donnell Stadium on Tuesday to begin a 12-game, 13-day homestand that will be the longest of the season. Quad Cities will welcome in Beloit, Lansing, and South Bend for four games each, and will be home through May 7.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS: The Swing of the Quad Cities will close out the month of April with some great promotions. Thursday, April 27 will be a 97 Rock/Pluckers Thirsty Thursday. The first 1,000 fans through the gates on April 28 will be able to take advantage of a poster giveaway, and April 29 will feature the first fireworks night of the year, sponsored by KWQC. The month ends with a Family Fun Day on April 30, complete with clowns, face-painting, and the opportunity for kids to run the bases after the game.

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics



Midwest League Stories from April 24, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central