RIVER BANDITS SALVAGE FINALE IN GREAT LAKES

MIDLAND, Mich. -- The Quad Cities River Bandits halted a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 win over the Great Lake Loons in a rainy morning start to the series finale Wednesday at Dow Diamond. Kyle Tucker had a pair of doubles, two RBIs and a run scored to lead the offense for Quad Cities. Brooks Marlow extended his hitting streak to seven games and scored a pair of runs while Andrew Thome danced out of danger twice in the final two innings to get the save.

Tucker helped the Bandits (11-15) take the lead for good in the third inning with an RBI-double off the base of the right-center field wall to plate Marlow. Connor Goedert followed with a deep flyout, sending the center fielder crashing into the wall, allowing Antonio Nunez to walk home of the sacrifice fly.

Quad Cities never led in the first two games of the series, but jumped out on the Loons (9-16) in the first inning Wednesday. Marlow drew a leadoff walk, was sacrificed to second by Nunez, before advancing to third on a Tucker groundout. Goedert hit a grounder to short, which was bobbled to allow the game's first run to score on an error. Two second-inning singles brought the tying run home for the Loons.

Deivy Castillo hit a solo home run in the home third to cut the deficit to one, but the Loons would get no closer. Chris Murphy (2-2) allowed the two runs on four hits to get the win. He has now earned a win in two straight starts. Victor Gonzalez (1-2) took the loss after the Loons starter failed to record an out in the sixth. He surrendered four runs, three earned, on six hits while striking out five Bandits.

Pat Porter singled home Tucker in the sixth for some extra breathing room and Tucker used a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to drive in his second run of the game. The Loons got a run back in the home seventh when Matt Bower's strike-three pitch kicked to the backstop and allowed a two-out run to score as the inning continued for a fourth out and the Loons cut the deficit to 5-3.

Bower struck out four out of the bullpen, but walked a season-high three batters. He walked two straight with one out in the eighth, putting the tying run on base. Thome came on in relief and promptly rolled a double play off the first batter he faced to end the threat. After back-to-back singles led off the ninth inning a sacrifice bunt put the trail runner in scoring position, representing the tying run. Porter made a diving catch for the second out before Thome picked up his first strikeout of the game to retire Midwest League home run leader Matt Jones and the Loons for good. It was Thome's fourth save in five chances this season.

With over a half-inch of rain in the forecast, the game began under a light drizzle for the first two innings and subsided the rest of the way. Immediately upon the final out, the skies opened and pouring rain fell on Dow Diamond.

The Bandits migrate south to take on the Lugnuts in Lansing, Michigan for three games beginning Thursday at 6:05 p.m. CDT.  Sebastian Kessay (1-2, 9.64) takes the mound for the River Bandits, coming off his best outing of the year, against Jon Harris (0-0, 3.12) for the Lugnuts. You can catch all the action with radio broadcaster Jake Levy, beginning with the LLOYD Agencies Pregame Show at 5:50 on K-BOB 1170 AM, riverbandits.com and the TuneIn app.