MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Swing Use Five-Run Inning To Pound Chiefs

Published on April 15, 2007 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Swing of the Quad Cities set season-highs for hits and runs Sunday afternoon at O'Brien Field, as their offense exploded in a big five-run fourth inning to highlight a 9-3 win over the Peoria Chiefs. Mark Shorey picked up two hits and drove in three, as the powerful outfielder emerged from a slow start to pick up his first extra-base hit of the season.

Quad Cities (6-4) has won five of their last six ballgames, and will look to sweep the Chiefs in a two-game series for the second time in less than a week on Monday evening. Peoria (3-5) has lost five games in a row, a skid that started with a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Swing on Thursday.

Shorey got the scoring started in the third after Christian Lopez singled and Brandon Buckman was hit by a pitch. With men on first and second, the 2006 Appalachian League home run king turned on the first pitch he saw and ripped a double of the wall in right, bringing both runners home for a 2-0 lead.

After a solo home run by Andrew Lopez in the bottom of the third cut the lead in half, Quad Cities blew the game open in the top of the fourth. The Swing sent 10 men to the plate in the frame - seven of which reached base consecutively - while setting season-highs for a single inning with five runs on four hits.

Daryl Jones got the rally started with a one-out walk and scored one batter later when Chris Grossman drove a double into the right-center field gap. Consecutive walks loaded the bases for Isa Garcia, who advanced everybody 90 feet with a run-scoring single that chased Peoria starter Jose Ceda from the game. Southpaw reliever Jason Ruhlman entered with one out and the bases loaded, but Quad Cities was far from finished. Buckman greeted him by yanking a two-run single into right field, and Shorey followed with an RBI-single of his own to cap the five-run inning and take a 7-1 lead.

Brandon Dickson (1-1) was strong in his second start (third appearance) of the season, tossing five innings while allowing just one run on six hits. He struck out two without issuing a walk, as the Lopez homer in the third was the only blemish on his ledger. Blake King allowed two runs in three innings out of the bullpen as the second part of the tandem starter pairing.

The Swing capped the scoring with two runs in the seventh, as Chiefs' reliever Mark Pawelek issued a walk and hit two batters to open the inning. Christian Lopez knocked home a run with one of his three hits on the day, and Jim Rapoport followed with a sacrifice fly to put the finishing touches on the 9-3 win.

Ceda (1-1) was roughed up in the loss, allowing seven runs on four hits and four walks in just 3.1 innings of work.

After going 4-2 in their first homestand of the year, Sunday's game marked the beginning of a 12-game, 13-day road trip for the Swing.

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Midwest League Stories from April 15, 2007


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