13
Apr
2016
TUCKER SHINES, BANDITS PITCH SHUTOUT IN FIRST WIN
Kyle Tucker hits first home run of the season in shutout win at Peoria
PEORIA, Ill. -- Kyle Tucker's first-inning home run would prove to be the game-winner as the River Bandits shutout the Peoria Chiefs, 2-0, Tuesday night at a chilly Dozer Park. Tucker went 3-for-3 on the night, stole a base and made two stellar plays in the outfield to lead the way. Alex Winkelman threw five shutout innings to start off the first win of the 2016 season.
For the second straight night, the River Bandits (1-5) got a strong performance from their starting pitcher. Winkelman (1-0) allowed just a pair of hits and two walks while collecting three strikeouts in five scoreless innings.
Ryan Deemes got the hold for three scoreless innings with five strikeouts mixed in and Adam Whitt got the save with a scoreless ninth inning, thanks in part to two outstanding plays by shortstop Antonio Nunez; a backpedaling leaping grab for the first out and smothering a sharp ground ball to start a game-ending double play.
After two strikeouts started out the River Bandits first inning, Tucker went opposite field over the left field wall to put the Bandits ahead. A two-out rally in the third would pad the lead when Daz Cameron walked, Tucker singled and Anthony Hermelyn drew a base on balls to load the bases. Then a wild pitch allowed Cameron to score.
Ryan Deemes got the hold for three scoreless innings with five strikeouts mixed in and Adam Whitt got the save with a scoreless ninth inning, thanks in part to two outstanding plays by shortstop Antonio Nunez; a backpedaling leaping grab for the first out and smothering a sharp ground ball to start a game-ending double play.
After two strikeouts started out the River Bandits first inning, Tucker went opposite field over the left field wall to put the Bandits ahead. A two-out rally in the third would pad the lead when Daz Cameron walked, Tucker singled and Anthony Hermelyn drew a base on balls to load the bases. Then a wild pitch allowed Cameron to score.
That was all the damage done off Peoria (3-2) starter Brennan Leitao. He took the loss (0-1) after five-plus innings, giving up the two earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four.
The Peoria bullpen would hold Quad Cities hitless the rest of the way, but the damage was already done.
In addition to providing the offense, Tucker also posted run-saving defense in the win. Brian O'Keefe singled to lead off the second inning and advanced to third on a flyout. After Winkelman got a groundout, Craig Aiken hit a two-out sinking line drive to left. Tucker came in on a dead sprint and laid out for a diving catch towards the third-base bag to keep the Chiefs off the scoreboard. In the sixth, he gunned down Vaughn Bryan as he tried to extend a leadoff single.
With the win, River Bandits manager Omar Lopez moves into sole possession of eighth place in all-time Quad Cities wins as a manager with win number 153 for his River Bandits career.
Johnny Sewald and Osvaldo Duarte each had their season-long hitting streaks snapped in the win. Both went 0-for-4 on the night. The win snapped a three-game winning streak by the Chiefs and got Quad Cities into a tie for last in the Midwest League.
The Bandits will look to build on the win and take the series in the rubber match at 6:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Right hander Rogelio Armentaros (0-1, 0.00) takes the hill for Quad Cities against Derian Gonzalez, who makes his first appearance of the season. You can hear the game with Jake Levy on 1170 K-BOB in the Quad Cities, online at riverbandits.com or on the TuneIn app starting at 6:15 p.m. CT with the Lloyd Agencies Pregame Show.
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BANDITS BULLPEN FALTERS IN LOSS TO PEORIA
McCanna shines on the mound, but River Bandits lose fifth straight to start season
PEORIA, Ill. -- Kevin McCanna faced the minimum through five innings and the Quad Cities River Bandits held their first lead of the 2016 season. But a six-run sixth inning gave the Peoria Chiefs an 8-4 come-from-behind victory Monday night at Dozier Stadium to keep the River Bandits winless to start the 2016 season. Johnny Sewald picked up a pair of hits, scored twice and drove in a run to lead the offense.
Quad Cities (0-5) never led through their first four games of the year, but came out hot against the Chiefs (3-1) Monday night. Sewald led off with a single and would score from first when the next batter, Osvaldo Duarte, roped an RBI-double. Duarte would score later in the inning on an Anthony Hermelyn single to give the Bandits the early two-run lead.
That would have been plenty for McCanna, who scattered three singles over five scoreless innings without walking a batter and striking out three. But the Bandits got right back at it in their second inning. Sewald doubled home Antonio Nunez, who drew a one-out walk, to pad the lead. Then in the fifth inning, Sewald scored on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Tucker, his fourth RBI of the season.
But the script flipped in the home sixth.
Sebastian Kessay took over on the mound in the frame and walked the first three hitters he faced. Then Eli Alvarez singled to right, plating a run. The throw was cut off by first baseman Dexture McCall, who tried to throw behind the runner at second base. The throw sailed into left field and two more runs came home to cut the lead to 4-3. Two batters later, Magnerius Sierra singled to tie the game.
That would be all for Kessay (0-1), who went 0.1 innings and was taxed with five runs to take the loss. Zac Person took over on the mound after landing in Peoria, Illinois earlier in the day to join the team from extended spring training. The first batter he faced, R.J. Dennard clubbed a home run over the right field wall to give Peoria the lead. Dennard would drive in another run in the seventh with a sacrifice fly.
Peoria starter Junior Fernandez left after the sixth inning, trailing 4-0, but the lopsided home sixth gave him the win. Fernandez (1-0) gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts.
Hermalyn reached base three more times on Monday, making it 11 times he's been aboard in four games played this season. Duarte and Sewald have each hit safely in every game they've played in, while Sewald has scored five times in four games in 2016.
The River Bandits will look to even the series and get their first win on Tuesday in the middle game of the three-game set with the Chiefs. Lefty Alex Winkelman (0-0, 23.14) gets the start for Quad Cities, facing off with right-hander Brennan Leitao, who makes his first appearance of the season. You can join Jake Levy for the radio broadcast, starting with the Lloyd Agencies Pregame Show at 6:15 p.m. CT, on K-BOB 1170 AM in the Quad Cities, online at riverbandits.com or on the TuneIn app.
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