MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Snappers Homer Past River Bandits, 6-1, in Season Finale

Published on September 3, 2012 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


BELOIT, Wis. (SEPT. 3, 2012) - The Quad Cities River Bandits went quietly in the season finale Monday afternoon, with the most interesting inning including the league-leading 28th home run by Beloit third baseman Miguel Sano and an inside-the-park home run from right fielder Wang-Wei Lin that led the Snappers to a 6-1 Labor Day victory at Pohlman Field.

Beloit (38-32 second half, 77-63 overall) took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, with a rally started by a double from catcher Matt Koch, who capped a season of remarkable success against Quad Cities with a 3-for-4 game. He scored on a two-run single by shortstop Stephen Wickens. Those were the only two runs allowed by left-hander Dail Villanueva (10-7), who allowed three hits and two walks with five strikeouts in five innings.

Left-hander David Hurlbut (6-6) pitched the first five innings for the Snappers and allowed only a single run in the fifth inning. Quad Cities right fielder Gary Apelian hit a one-out double. First baseman David Medina then singled to first baseman Drew Leachman, who overthrew Hurlbut running to cover first base. That allowed Apelian to score for a 2-1 deficit.

Trailing by one run, Quad Cities (33-37, 68-71) had its best chance to tie the game in the sixth inning. Center fielder Nick Martini and second baseman Colin Walsh hit consecutive singles against right-hander Cole Johnson to put runners at first and third base. Shortstop Anthony Melchionda then lined out to Sano at third base, and the throw to first base doubled off Walsh. It was the only blemish on the line for Melchionda, who was a team-best 3-for-4. Catcher Juan Castillo flied out to left field to end the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Beloit widened its lead against right-hander Yunior Castillo. After the first two batters grounded out, Sano hit a solo home run to left field for his league-leading 100th RBI. Following Sano, designated hitter Kennys Vargas and Leachman each singled, before Lin drove a ball to right-center field. As Lin neared third base, the relay throw bounced in front of and past the first cutoff man, allowing Lin to race home for a four-base hit.

Yunior Castillo allowed a fifth straight hit on a single by Koch before being removed for right-hander Ethan Cole. Cole pitched the final 2 1/3 innings with four strikeouts to keep Beloit from adding to the lead.

The Snappers bullpen pitched four scoreless innings. Johnson allowed two hits in a scoreless sixth. Left-hander Taylor Rogers allowed one hit in two innings. In the ninth inning, right-hander Zach Jones allowed a leadoff single by Melchionda before striking out Juan Castillo, Medina and Apelian in order. Beloit won for the 11th time in 16 games with Quad Cities.

After winning the 2011 Midwest League Championship, the River Bandits missed the playoffs and had their first losing season since 2009. The team set a franchise record for at-bats in a single season with 4,714, breaking a record set in 2005. Among notable individual records, Walsh finished with a .949 on-base-plus-slugging average, second only to Jon Schaeffer's franchise record of .969 in 1999. Walsh posted a .314 batting average that finished fourth-highest in the league this season and led all of the Western Division.

UP NEXT: Now is the time to lock in your season ticket plan for the 2013 season! Make a $25 deposit per seat by Sept. 30, and you are automatically entered for a chance to win a suite for a River Bandits home game in April 2013! Call 563-322-6348 (563-3-BANDIT) for more information or visit www.riverbandits.com to download the season ticket order form. 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.

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Midwest League Stories from September 3, 2012


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