Sports stats



MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Swing take first place with win

August 20, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Swing of the Quad Cities won their third consecutive game over Burlington on Sunday afternoon, edging the Bees by a 3-2 score at Community Field. Quad Cities' magic number to make the playoffs fell to five with the victory, while a loss by Kane County moved the Swing into sole possession of first place in the Midwest League's Western Division.

Quad Cities (34-22, 68-56) improved to a season-best 12 games over .500 while winning at Community Field for the first time this season. Burlington (22-35, 57-67) has now lost five games in a row, and will send the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft, Luke Hochevar, to the mound to try to avoid a series sweep on Monday.

Trailing 1-0 after two innings of play, the Swing turned things around in the top of the third. After drawing a leadoff walk, Casey Rowlett stole second base and advanced to third when the throw skipped into center field. Chad Gabriel singled him home with a liner to left that tied the game, and moved to third moments later when Henry Guerrero slapped a bouncing ball through the right side of the infield on a picture perfect hit-and-run play. Daniel Nelson followed by grounding into a double play, but Gabriel trotted home on the same play to give Quad Cities a 2-1 lead.

With two outs in the eighth inning, the Swing added what would prove to be a crucial insurance run. Jon Jay and Mark Hamilton each singled and Tyler Greene was hit by a pitch for the second time to load the bases. C.J. Smith then hit a hot smash towards third base that Mario Lisson could not handle, as the infield single allowed each runner to advance 90 feet while pushing the lead to 3-1.

The extra run made a big difference in the bottom of the eighth when the Bees rallied for three singles, the last one by Miguel Vega to knock in a run while putting men on first and second. But with a slim 3-2 lead, Swing manager Keith Mitchell countered by going to his closer early. Chris Perez came in looking for the five-out save and got out of the eighth-inning jam without a problem, finishing the job in the ninth inning for his ninth save in as many opportunities.

With another 3.1 innings pitched on Sunday, the Swing relief corps continued to roll while preserving another big win. Since August 12 the pen has posted a 1.42 over their last nine games, picking up two wins and four saves while registering more strikeouts (27) than hits allowed (21).

Donnie Smith (4-1) turned in another strong outing to earn the win, allowing one unearned run on three hits in 5.2 innings of work that included five strikeouts and two walks. Smith is now 3-0 with a 0.57 ERA over his last three starts.

The loss went to Mario Santiago (2-6) despite a strong outing, as the right-hander from Puerto Rico gave up three runs on just five hits. He set a career-high with 7.2 innings pitched while matching a career-high with six strikeouts.

UP NEXT: The Swing of the Quad Cities will finish their series in Burlington against the Bees on Monday night, as LHP Adam Daniels (7-10, 3.10) will get the start against the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft, RHP Luck Hochevar (0-0, 0.00). First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and coverage on Progressive Talk AM-1270 will begin at 6:45 p.m.

NEXT HOMESTAND: The Swing will return to John O'Donnell Stadium for a six-game homestand on Saturday, August 26. Quad Cities will host Peoria Chiefs in the final two games of a home-and-home series before welcoming the Kane County Cougars into town for a four-game set beginning on Monday, August 28.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS: A KWQC/River 104.9 fireworks show will follow the game on Saturday, August 26, while Sunday's contest will be a Mix 96 Family Fun Day. A Q106.5 $1 Monday comes your way on August 28, with hot dogs, popcorn, and soda available for just a buck each, while Tuesday night's game will be Credit Union for Kids Night in association with the Children's Miracle Network. US Cellular Night at the ballpark will be on Wednesday, August 30, and the homestand will conclude with a Pluckers/97 Rock Thirsty Thursday on the final day of August.

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics



Midwest League Stories from August 20, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central