MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Swing lose in extras, streak ends at six

Published on June 5, 2006 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The winning streak came to an end at six for the Swing of the Quad Cities, who dropped a back-and-forth, extra-inning affair to the West Michigan Whitecaps on Monday night at Fifth Third Ballpark, 6-5, in 11 innings. The Swing took three of four from West Michigan, winning their second consecutive four-game series while wrapping up a 6-2 road trip.

Quad Cities (26-29) did not lose any ground on Peoria in the race for the second MWL-West playoff spot, sitting four games behind the Chiefs with 13 to play in the first half. West Michigan (33-22) snapped a season-high four-game losing streak with the win, finally breaking through in the bottom 11th after failing to bring home men in scoring position with less than two outs in the ninth and tenth innings.

In a 5-5 tie in the 11th, Jason Cairns found himself in a jam after issuing consecutive walks with one out. Simon Williams momentarily saved the game with a running catch as he barreled into the wall in right-center, but with two outs Justin Justice ended it with a groundball past a diving Jose Martinez at second that scored Matt Joyce for the 6-5 final.

Matt Rusch (5-2) took the win for the Whitecaps after three scoreless innings of work, allowing two hits and stranding runners in scoring position in both the ninth and tenth innings. Cairns (1-2), who grew up in Traverse City, Michigan, was tagged with the loss.

West Michigan jumped on Jaime Garcia early Monday night, taking advantage of uncharacteristic back-to-back walks to open the bottom of the first. Joyce hit a bouncing ball through the right side to plate one run and put men at the corners, but the Swing cut down a runner at the plate on a groundball by the next batter. With the bases loaded and one out Justice hit a ground ball towards second that had Quad Cities thinking double play, but a hard slide into second caused Luis Cotto's throw to pull Randy Roth off the bag at first, allowing another run to score and the Whitecaps to seize a 2-0 lead.

Trailing 3-0, the Swing fought back in the top of the fourth. Roth drew a one-out walk, and Quad Cities loaded the bases on consecutive singles from Chad Gabriel and Cotto. For the second straight game it was Williams coming up with the big blow, stroking a bases-clearing triple into left-center to tie the game at three with one swing of the bat.

After a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth, Quad Cities went right back to work in the top of the fifth. Daniel Nelson made up for a pair of errors earlier in the game by slapping a leadoff single into left field. After an errant pickoff throw to first, the speedy leadoff hitter raced all the way to third base with nobody out. That set the stage for the scrappy Casey Rowlett, who lifted a fly ball to left field that was deep enough to score Nelson on a sacrifice fly and put the Swing on top, 4-3.

West Michigan then tied the game and took the lead in the seventh. Catcher's interference allowed pinch-hitter Max Leon to reach leading off the inning, and Will Rhymes laid down a bunt. Reliever Jonathan Mikrut tracked the ball down but his throw to first sailed high, allowing Leon to score and Rhymes to head into third base safely. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Joyce, and the Whitecaps turned a one-run deficit into a 5-4 lead.

In the top of the eighth, the Swing got even. Jose Martinez had his jersey clipped by the second pitch of the inning and stole second to move into scoring position with nobody out. After Roth drew a walk Colby Rasmus came on to pinch-hit, laying down a bunt that moved both runners ahead 90 feet. Cotto followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, tying the game at five and setting the stage for the dramatic extra-inning conclusion.

Despite tying a season-high with six errors, Quad Cities came up big defensively at a number of critical junctures of the ballgame. With Mike Hollimon at second base and two outs in the bottom of the sixth, a single into right field went towards Rowlett. Continuing his stellar series in the field, Rowlett fired a one-hop strike to gun down Hollimon and protect what was then a 4-3 lead. In the eighth inning the game was tied at five when Rafael Mendez tried to take advantage of a chaotic play and score from second, only to be thrown out at the dish by Cotto.

Garcia threw five innings in the start, allowing three runs on two hits. The southpaw walked the first two batters he faced and three in the first inning, giving up just one hit after that point.

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Midwest League Stories from June 5, 2006


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