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Quad Cities River Bandits

Swing rally late but fall short in extras

June 29, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Swing of the Quad Cities and South Bend Silver Hawks just cannot seem to get enough of each other, as the two squads played into extra innings Thursday night at Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium for the third time in five meetings before the home team captured a 3-2, 11-inning win. The Swing have lost all three of those extra inning affairs, and have now dropped four of five games to the Silver Hawks this season.

Quad Cities (4-4, 38-38) falls back to the break-even point again, and is 2-2 through the first four games of their current seven-game road trip. South Bend (6-2, 39-35) got a strong starting performance from Cody Evans, who out-dueled Swing starter Cory Meacham before the bullpens took over late.

Tied at two in the bottom of the 11th, all-star reliever Danny Borne got into a jam that he could not get out of. He issued two consecutive walks to open the frame, and a sacrifice bunt turned into an error to load the bases for the Silver Hawks with nobody out. That set the stage for Manny Ferrer to reach out on an 0-2 count and poke a looping single into right field to plate the game-winning run for the 3-2 final.

A flurry of scoring late overshadowed an early pitcher's duel. Meacham and Evans each sailed through the early part of the ballgame, as the two clubs combined for just three hits and four baserunners through the first five frames.

The two starters matched each other zero-for-zero through those innings, but South Bend finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Pedro Ciriaco led off with a blooper to shallow center that dropped in between Colby Rasmus and Casey Rowlett for a double. After moving to third on a bunt, Justin Upton worked the count full before lining a breaking ball into left to give South Bend the lead. With two outs on the inning Ricardo Sosa lined a double into the left field corner, and Upton raced home all the way from first to put the Silver Hawks out in front, 2-0.

The Colby Rasmus show started in the top of the seventh. The Cardinals' top pick in 2005 - 28th overall - jacked his 11th home run of the year to right field to lead off the inning, cutting the deficit in half to 2-1.

That was the score heading into the ninth, when the 19-year-old prospect went back to work. After Daniel Nelson led off with a bloop single to center, Rasmus blasted a shot to right field that narrowly missed another home run. The ball caromed off the four-foot-high fence that sits atop the 12-foot-high wall, but Nelson still managed to beat the throw to the plate and score from first on the double. With the score tied at two, Rasmus broke from second and stole third on the very next pitch. But with the potential go-ahead run at third and nobody out, Quad Cities could not take the lead. As the infield came in, Randy Roth struck out and Bryan Anderson scorched a line drive right at the second baseman. A bounce out by A.J. Van Slyke ended the inning, as the Swing missed a golden opportunity to take control.

Meacham fired off seven strong innings, allowing two runs in the sixth and six hits overall. He struck out three and walked two, but kept the Swing in the ballgame while the offense tried to get something going against Evans. Jonathan Mikrut tossed two scoreless relief innings before Borne (0-1) was saddled with his first loss of the season.

Evans was stifling for South Bend, holding the Swing to just one run on four hits in eight innings of work. He struck out four without issuing a walk, as the Rasmus homer in the seventh proved to be the only blemish against him. Donald Julio blew the save in the ninth before throwing a 1-2-3 tenth, and it was Ryan Doherty (5-0) coming on to capture the win with a perfect eleventh inning.

UP NEXT: The Swing of the Quad Cities will continue their series in South Bend on Friday, as RHP Trey Hearne (5-2, 2.38) takes the hill opposite the Silver Hawks' LHP Ryan Schreppel (3-8, 4.48). First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and coverage on Progressive Talk AM-1270 will begin at 5:45 p.m.

NEXT HOMESTAND: The Swing will return to JOD for a four-game set with the Fort Wayne Wizards beginning on Monday, July 3.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS: The game on Monday, July 3, will feature an extravagant fireworks blowout as part of the Red, White, and BOOM celebration (KWQC/Q106.5/The District/Davenport One). There will also be fireworks on Tuesday, July 4 (KWQC/KUUL).

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