MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Silver Hawks Deal Bandits a Heartbreaker

April 18, 2014 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


DAVENPORT, Iowa - The Quad Cities River Bandits came within a strike of a 3-2 home victory Friday night, but South Bend Silver Hawks right fielder Stryker Trahan grounded a two-out, game-tying double down the third-base line and scored on an RBI single by first baseman Daniel Palka in a 4-3 win for the visitors in front of 1,874 at Modern Woodmen Park.

River Bandits right-hander Andrew Walter (1-2) started his second inning of relief with a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning. After recording the season-high 14 th strikeout by a Quad Cities pitcher, Walter allowed a one-out single by Silver Hawks shortstop Andrew Velazquez. After a flyout by second baseman Jamie Westbrook, Walter jumped ahead of Trahan, 0-2. The infield shift on the left-handed-hitting Trahan opened a gap down the third-base line, where Trahan grounded his hit. Velazquez sped around from first base to beat the throw home for a 3-3 tie. It marked the first blown save in the Midwest League for Walter, who had converted five regular season and three postseason opportunities. With Trahan at second base, Quad Cities (7-8) put a shift on the left-handed hitting Palka, who grounded a 2-0 pitch into right-center field that scored Trahan with the go-ahead run.

South Bend (8-7) brought in right-hander J.R. Bradley for the bottom of the ninth inning. Catcher Jobduan Morales reached on a ground-ball hit that Westbrook fielded in shallow right field. But on Bradley's first pitch to third baseman Austin "Catfish" Elkins, catcher Michael Perez threw to Palka at first base and picked off Morales. With the bases empty Bradley struck out Elkins but issued a two-out walk to second baseman Chan-Jong Moon. Moon stole second base before Bradley struck out center fielder James Ramsay looking. It was the season-high 13 th strikeout by a River Bandits hitter. The teams combined for 27 strikeouts - half of the outs in the nine-inning game.

Before the ninth inning, the Silver Hawks' only lead came in the first. Right-hander Andrew Thurman allowed a one-out infield single to Westbrook and a two-out RBI single by Palka, whom Thurman picked off to end the inning. In the bottom of the first inning, right fielder Brett Phillips tied the game with his first professional home run to right field on the first pitch he saw from right-hander Blake Perry.

In a 1-1 tie, Thurman kept South Bend hitless in the second through fourth innings. He allowed a pair of hits in the fifth inning before being removed after 4 1/3 innings, having allowed four hits, one earned run and one walk with eight strikeouts, a new River Bandits season high. Right-hander Patrick Christensen got the final two outs to keep the tie.

The River Bandits took their first lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Moon singled and went to second base on a groundout. Phillips walked before shortstop Jack Mayfield lined a single to right field that scored Moon. Mayfield got caught in a rundown before Phillips was thrown out at home plate. The 2-1 lead lasted until the next half-inning, as left-hander Chris Lee yielded a walk, two singles and a bases-loaded walk that tied the game.

In the bottom of the sixth, River Bandits designated hitter Jon Kemmer hit his first home run of the season off Perry to make it 3-2.

Quad Cities will seek to salvage the series finale with South Bend at 6 p.m. Saturday at Modern Woodmen Park. River Bandits right-hander Jandel Gustave (1-1) is scheduled to face Silver Hawks right-hander Ben Eckels (0-2).

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics



Midwest League Stories from April 18, 2014


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