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MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Swing score seven in first, fires two-hitter

August 8, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Swing of the Quad Cities scored seven runs in the first inning while pitchers Donnie Smith and Tyler Norrick threw a combined two-hitter, blanking the Clinton LumberKings, 11-0, at John O'Donnell Stadium Tuesday night. Smith picked up the win with five two-hit innings for the Swing, but Norrick came on late to steal the show with nine strikeouts over four perfect frames.

Quad Cities (27-18, 61-52) won three of four from the LumberKings, besting their in-state rivals in the season series, 13-11. Clinton (12-34, 35-80) is on pace to finish with their worst winning percentage in franchise history, currently trying to catch the Clinton Pirates' record of 44-80 (.354) that was set with a 124-game schedule in 1958.

The Swing used two starting pitchers Tuesday in an effort to limit the days between outings created by Mark Mulder's rehab start on Sunday and the pending off-day on Wednesday. RHP Donnie Smith and LHP Tyler Norrick combined to throw a two-hit shutout, retiring the last 21 batters they faced while holding the LumberKings to just two baserunners.

Norrick may have entered the ballgame long after it had been decided, but the 11-0 lead did not cause him to let up. After inducing a groundout from the first batter he faced, the left-hander punched out six consecutive hitters. The sixth-rounder out of Southern Illinois dominated Clinton through his four innings of work, using a lively fastball to retire all 12 batters he saw while striking out nine of them.

Smith (2-1) sailed through his five innings of work as well, holding Clinton to just two baserunners while pitching with a comfortable lead for most of the night. He allowed two hits and no runs while fanning three without issuing a walk.

Meanwhile, LumberKings' starter Zach Phillips did not fare quite as well. The 19-year-old southpaw failed to make it out of the first inning as the Swing got to him early and often.

Shane Robinson led things off in the first with a single and moved to third on a one-out double by Jon Jay. Tyler Greene put the Swing on the board with a two-run double, and a run-scoring single by C.J. Smith with men on the corners made it 3-0. The bases were loaded later in the frame when Henry Guerrero drew a walk, and Robinson followed with his second hit of the inning - a two-run single that pushed the score to 6-0.

Casey Rowlett capped the first-inning scoring with a groundball single to left field, as eight of the nine hitters in the Swing lineup reached base in the inning. Seven different batters scored runs and five different batters drove runs in, as 12 hitters came to the plate in the first inning to give the Swing a quick 7-0 lead.

In the bottom of the third, Quad Cities continued to pour it on. Chad Gabriel singled with one out and scored from second on a double by Guerrero. Later in the frame Jay doubled in Guerrero, and Rowlett, who had reached base on a walk, scampered home from third on a wild pitch. Rowlett's run marked the ninth different Swing player to score in the game, as Quad Cities had a 10-0 lead.

The Swing added another run in the fourth. Mark Hamilton doubled to open the inning, and Daniel Nelson's sacrifice fly made it an 11-0 ballgame.

Phillips (3-11) was tagged with the loss for Clinton, as he was roughed up for seven runs on seven hits and two walks in just .2 innings. In three starts against Quad Cities this season he has allowed 19 earned runs in just nine innings, going 0-2 with a 19.00 ERA and 26 hits allowed.

Glen Swanson gave the LumberKings four strong innings out of the pen, retiring 12 of the 13 batters he faced to end the game. That included a stretch in which he struck out six of seven batters in a row.

UP NEXT: After an off day on Wednesday, the Swing of the Quad Cities will welcome the West Michigan Whitecaps to town Thursday night, as LHP Adam Daniels (7-8, 2.82) will get the start against RHP Burke Badenhop (11-2, 2.92). First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and coverage on Progressive Talk AM-1270 will begin at 6:45 p.m.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS: Thursday will be a Pluckers/97 Rock Thirsty Thursday. If you like free T-shirts, come to the ballpark early on Friday, August 11, to take advantage of an i-wireless/KWQC/River 104.9 giveaway. The best promotion of the bunch might be on Saturday, August 12, when the first 500 fans will receive baseballs autographed by past and present major leaguers as well as Swing players, and there will be a Cardinals' jersey auction after the game. A KWQC/WKBF fireworks show will follow the game. Bring your pups out to the homestand finale on Sunday, August 13, which will be Dog Day sponsored by Happy Dog Bakery as well as a Mix 96 Family Fun Day and DHCU Customer Appreciation Day.

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Midwest League Stories from August 8, 2006


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