17
May
2016
WINK AND A SMILE! BANDITS ONE-HIT SNAPPERS
Quad Cities avoids sweep with 6-0 win over Beloit SundayBELOIT, Wisc. -- A day after graduating college, starting pitcher Alex Winkelman took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and the Quad Cities River Bandits salvaged the series finale with a 6-0 win over the Beloit Snappers on Sunday at Pohlman Field. Winkelman combined with Jose Hernandez and Zac Person to one-hit the Snappers and pitch the Bandits fourth shutout win of the year. Johnny Sewald and Brooks Marlow each homered in the win and Christian Correa drove in to runs to pace the offense.
Winkelman took a perfect game to the fifth his last time out for Quad Cities (15-21) before surrendering three runs late. On Sunday he walked the leadoff man in the first inning before retiring the next 15 batters he faced. A leadoff single in the sixth was erased on a double play and Winkelman (4-1) faced just one over the minimum in six innings, striking out seven in the win. The bullpen duo of Hernandez and Person each held Beloit (18-19) hitless to complete the shutout.
Sewald jump-started the Bandits offense with a solo home run, his first of the season, with two outs in the third inning to open the scoring. Marlow followed with a solo shot of his own to lead off the fourth inning, his second homer of the season to double the lead. Sunday marked the first time this season the Bandits have had multiple home runs in a game. The Bandits added two more runs in the fifth on an RBI-single by Antonio Nunez, plating Bobby Wernes who tripled, and a sacrifice fly from Dexture McCall. Beloit starter Xavier Altamirano (2-4) allowed the four runs on five hits, including the two long balls, and a pair of walks to suffer the loss.
Correa rounded out the scoring in the seventh with his bases-loaded single that drove home a pair. All five of Correa's RBIs on the season have come in the last week. He unloaded the bases with a double last Monday at home against Burlington before his bases-loaded single Sunday.
Despite no Kyle Tucker in the lineup, the Bandits offense regained its stride Sunday. Tucker still has an eight-game hitting streak and multiple hits in nine of the last 11 he's played. It was the third consecutive road series the Bandits were able to avoid the sweep on the final day.
After a league-wide off day Monday, The Bandits host the Midwest League Western Division leaders, the Clinton LumberKings, for the three games at Modern Woodmen Park. Tuesday's series opener will feature right-hander Chris Murphy (3-2, 2.70) who comes off a complete-game shutout and his third straight win. The LumberKings starter is still TBD. First pith is set for 11:00 a.m. CT for a Book Buddies Reading Day, with gates opening at 10:00. The game will be available on MiLB.TV, K-BOB 1170 AM, riverbandits.com and the TuneIn app with broadcasters Jake Levy and Lance Ragland starting at 10:45 a.m. with the LLOYD Agencies Pregame Show. ****
BANDITS BASHED IN DOUBLEHEADER SATURDAY
Quad Cities is outscored a combined 13-2 in a pair of loses to Beloit
BELOIT, Wisc. -- Despite a four-hit day from Kyle Tucker, the Quad Cities River Bandits were pummeled in both games Saturday by the Beloit Snappers at Pohlman Field. The Bandits dropped game one, 7-1, before falling 6-1 in game two. Tucker had two hits in each contest to improve his hitting streak to eight games and give him nine multi-hit games in the last 11 he's played.
Quad Cities (14-21) never led in the doubleheader. The Snappers (18-17) got a two-out rally to score in the second inning of game one. Albert Abreu used four strikeouts to retire the first five he faced before back-to-back walks in the second inning set up Edwin Diaz for an RBI-double to open the scoring. The Snappers would add four more runs in the fourth inning. Abreu (0-4) failed to record an out in the frame, and would be charged with five total runs in three-plus innings. He did record six strikeouts, moving him to second in the league for the season. Tucker singled home the lone Bandits run in game one, singling home Antonio Nunez. It was his 17 RBI of the year.
Boomer Biegalski (4-0) got the win for Beloit, tossing 5.2 innings and surrendering just one sixth-inning run while striking out eight. It was more of the same for game two's starter Evan Manarino (3-0) who went 5.1 innings, allowing a run on four hits and striking out five to get the win.
Justin Ferrell (1-2) left in the second inning, surrendering two runs in 1.2 innings to take the loss. The Snappers added four runs in the third off Juan Carlos Santos to open up a 6-0 advantage. Tom Gavitt roped his first Midwest League hit, a two-run double, to cap the scoring. Andrew Thome threw 3.1 scoreless innings the rest of the way, but the Bandits couldn't claw back. Osvaldo Duarte singled and came around on three wild pitches in the sixth inning to plate the Bandits lone run of game two.
****
