MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Wallace Goes Yard, Bandits Snap Chiefs Streak

Published on July 5, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


First-round pick Brett Wallace brought 4,746 excited fans to their feet on Saturday evening at Modern Woodmen Park, slugging his first professional home run during an eight-run seventh inning as the Quad Cities River Bandits ended the Peoria Chiefs' 11-game winning streak with a 9-2 victory.

Quad Cities (9-8, 42-39) set season highs with eight runs on seven hits during the decisive rally in the seventh inning, sending 12 men to the plate to turn a tie score into a blowout. The offensive explosion sent Peoria (11-6, 42-42) to their first loss since June 23, marking the end of their franchise record 11-game winning streak.

The game had been deadlocked in a 1-1 stalemate since the first inning when an error by the Chiefs' shortstop gave the River Bandits a leadoff baserunner in the bottom of the seventh. Carlos Pupo put Quad Cities on top with a run-scoring double into the left field corner, and Tommy Pham added a two-base hit of his own to make it 3-1. There was one away when Paul Vazquez laced the third RBI-double of the inning into left-center, and he eventually came around to score when Adron Chambers chopped a single through the right side on a hit-and-run.

With four runs in and men at the corners, the score stood at 5-1 with one out when Peoria removed reliever Julio Castillo from the ballgame. Pete Kozma immediately greeted his replacement, Jon Mueller, with a sacrifice fly to center. After Francisco Rivera drew a walk, Wallace turned on a 1-1 pitch and clubbed a high fly ball to right that cleared the fence and bounced on top of the thatched roof of the Tiki Village for a three-run homer.

After slugging 45 longballs during his three-year career at Arizona State to become the 13th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Wallace's first professional home run capped the eight-run inning and gave the River Bandits a comfortable 9-1 lead. He further delighted fans sitting in the Tiki Village with his "Tiki Bomb," enabling them to purchase the novelty drinks of the same name for just $2 over the course of the next inning.

Although Peoria added a run in the ninth, Wayne Daman (4-2) earned the win with five impressive frames out of the River Bandits bullpen. The 23-year-old out of Washington State entered the game in the fifth and threw four perfect innings before yielding one run on three hits in the ninth. He followed Chuckie Fick, who threw four strong one-run innings of his own in a spot start after Brian Broderick was scratched with a sore elbow.

Castillo (0-1) took the loss for the Chiefs, allowing six runs - three earned - on six hits over 4.1 innings of relief. He allowed just one hit over four shutout innings before Quad Cities busted out the sticks to chase him from the game just one out deep into the seventh.

Initially, the game started off with a flurry of action as each team scored single runs in the first inning.

Peoria's Jonathan Wyatt led off the ballgame with a single, stole second, and scored on a base hit by Marquez Smith.

Quad Cities answered in the bottom half of the frame, thanks in part to a costly Chiefs error. After catcher Josh Donaldson dropped a foul pop-up with men at the corners, Rivera turned on the next pitch and ripped a run-scoring base hit through the ride side to even the score at 1-1.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits will continue their homestand on Superhero Day in addition to a U.S. Bank Family Sunday with a pre-game catch on the field and the chance for kids to run the bases after the game. The homestand winds down on a Margarita Monday featuring half-priced margaritas at the Rio Bandito concession stand, and will also be a Uniform Monday and a night themed for the upcoming Get Smart movie. Bandit Wear featuring the new team name and logo is currently available by visiting the Modern Woodmen Park team store, and season ticket packages, mini-packages, and the popular You-Pick-10 Plan are on sale at the park or by calling (563) 3-BANDITS!

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Midwest League Stories from July 5, 2008


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