MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Six wins in last seven give Bandits winning record

Published on April 22, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


Steve Dillard managed his franchise-record 413th career game for Quad Cities on Wednesday night, and the River Bandits responded with a 4-2 win over the Beloit Snappers at Pohlman Field.

With the win, Quad Cities (6-5) surged above the .500 mark for the first time this season thanks to six wins in their last seven games. Beloit (3-8) had no answer for the River Bandits' 12-hit barrage, which included a 2-for-3 night and a solo homer by Paul Cruz, two hits and two RBI from Blake Murphy in his first start of the season, and two hits and two runs scored by Niko Vasquez.

The River Bandits fell behind in the bottom of the third thanks to a two-out passed ball, but quickly hopped on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth to take the lead.

Cruz led off the frame by tagging a solo homer to right - his second of the year - that evened the score. Vasquez and Chris Swauger each followed with singles, while Osvaldo Morales chipped in with a run-scoring groundout to put Quad Cities in front. Two batters later Murphy capped the rally with a single inside the third base line that plated Swauger for a 3-1 advantage.

Beloit pulled to within 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth - this time courtesy of a two-out wild pitch - but once again the Bandits went right back to work.

Vasquez led off the top of the sixth with a line drive single to center but still stood at first base two outs later. Charlie Cutler kept the inning alive with an infield single to the right side, and when the second baseman dove for the grounder Vasquez aggressively rounded second and advanced safely to third base. That put him in position to score on Murphy's second RBI-single of the night, extending the River Bandits' lead to the decisive 4-2 margin.

The score held up thanks to a great night by the Quad Cities pitching staff. Kevin Thomas started and allowed just one unearned run on two hits over four innings, while piggyback starter Hector Cardenas (2-0) earned the win with two innings of one-run ball. Relievers Ramon Delgado and Casey Mulligan (3) took it the rest of the way, combining for three innings of no-hit baseball to close the door.

Daniel Osterbrock (0-2) suffered the loss for Beloit, touched for four runs on 10 hits over six innings of work.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits continue their road series in Beloit with game three of a four-game set on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. They will be back at Modern Woodmen Park for a seven-game homestand that begins on Saturday with a live post-game performance by JAIGURU on a Rockin' Saturday that will also be Big Brothers, Big Sisters Night and a Salute to Plumbers, with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m. A U.S. Bank Family Sunday follows in which families will be invited down to the field for Family Photo Day. Monday will be an 11:00 a.m. Book Buddies Day while an Economic Stimulus Tuesday features 2-for-1 tickets, FREE dinner for kids 12 and under and a Snakes on a Field theme in honor of the visiting Wisconsin Timber Rattlers!

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from April 22, 2009


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