MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Swing Outlast Loons

Published on July 19, 2007 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Swing of the Quad Cities scored all of their runs in the top of the third inning on Thursday night, overcoming an early controversial call to pick up a 4-3 win over the Great Lakes Loons at Dow Diamond.

Quad Cities (14-11, 52-42) sent Clayton Mortensen to the mound in his Midwest League debut after being taken by the Cardinals in the supplemental-first round of the 2007 draft. Great Lakes (8-17, 42-53) countered with a tough Clayton of their own, as Clayton Kershaw, a first-round pick by the Dodgers in 2006, entered play leading the league in strikeouts.

The game was scoreless heading into the bottom of the second, when the Loons took the lead on a controversial call. There was a man at second with nobody out when Adolfo Gonzalez sent a chopper down the third base line that was called a fair ball, plating the runner on a double. The Swing protested to no avail, as skipper Keith Mitchell was thrown out of the game by home plate umpire Antonio Gutierrez. One batter later, Matt Berezay roped a single to right that brought home Gonzalez for a 2-0 Great Lakes' lead.

In the top of the second, however, the Swing fought back. After Jose Ramirez drew a leadoff walk, Christian Lopez tagged a 1-0 pitch the other way for his third homer of the year, a bomb to right-center that tied the score at two. There was one out when Jared Schweitzer singled to center, and moments later Tony Cruz lined a double down the right field line to drive in a run. Steven Hill promptly capped the rally, belting a double that rolled to the wall in center to give Quad Cities a 4-2 advantage.

The Swing bullpen took over from there. Kyle Sadlowski (2-3) entered the contest in the fifth inning, tossing a pair of shutout frames to earn the win. Marco Gonzalez and Kyle Mura then threw the seventh and eighth frames without allowing a hit.

Kenny Maiques came on for the ninth inning, and battled through a bit of turbulence for his 22nd save. Josh Bell led off with a solo homer, and there was a man on with two away when Juan Apodaca drove a 3-1 pitch to the track in right-center. But Antone DeJesus ran it down and made the catch to cement the 4-3 win. Maiques' 22nd save of the year moved him just four behind John Huey's single-season record of 26, set with the Quad City Cubs in 1983.

Mortensen was solid in his debut, striking out six over four innings in a no-decision. The 36th overall pick of the 2007 draft gave up two runs on six hits and one walk, leaving after 64 pitches due to a pitch count. The right-hander out of Gonzaga University struck out five of six at one point, with his only hiccup coming in a three-batter stretch to open the top of the second inning that included the controversial double by Gonzalez that led to both runs.

Kershaw (7-4) took the loss, in large part thanks to the four-run, five-hit rally by the Swing in the top of the third. Outside of that frame, the seventh overall pick in the 2006 draft allowed just one hit. The 19-year-old lefty struck out nine while issuing one walk, yielding four runs on six hits over six innings of work.

TICKETS: Tickets for all events at John O'Donnell Stadium can be purchased by calling the Swing of the Quad Cities ticket office at (563) 328-2000, coming to the box office located at the stadium along South Gaines Street, or by logging on to www.swingbaseball.com.

UP NEXT: After the current four-game series against the Great Lakes Loons, the Swing will return home for a six-game homestand that begins on Saturday against the Lansing Lugnuts. All Swing games feature a radio broadcast that can be heard on WKBF AM-1270 or online at www.swingbaseball.com, with the pre-game show starting 15 minutes prior to scheduled first pitch.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS: The Swing hit John O'Donnell Stadium for a six-game homestand that kicks off on Saturday with Military Night, featuring 2-for-1 tickets for all active military personnel or veterans, in addition to post-game FIREWORKS and a team photo giveaway courtesy of Heartland Chiropractic and the Sports Injury Clinic. Sunday will be a U.S. Bank Family Sunday as well as Optimists Day, and a free vacation to Florida will be handed out thanks to the Quad City International Airport and AirTran Airways. Quad City Homebuilders Association Night takes place on a Kids Eat Free Monday, and there will be a Kids Day on Tuesday. After an off day on Wednesday, the homestand resumes with Hispanic Heritage Night on a Bent River Brewing Company Thirsty Thursday. Curious George and WQPT will help close out the homestand with a post-game FIREWORKS show on Friday!!!

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Midwest League Stories from July 19, 2007


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