09
May
2016
FOUR-RUN FIRST PROPELS BANDITS TO WIN OVER LUGNUTS
Pitching shines as Bandits avoid sweep in Lansing with 6-2 win
LANSING, Mich. -- After being held scoreless the first two games of the series, the Quad Cities River Bandits exploded for four runs in the first inning Saturday night en route to a 6-2 win over the Lansing Lugnuts at Cooley Law School Stadium. The Bandits avoided the sweep thanks to pitchers Justin Ferrell and Albert Abreu striking out seven batters each and Kyle Tucker picking up multiple hits for the fourth time in his last five games.
Tucker had the lone hit in the four-run first for the River bandits (12-17). Three walks and a pair of errors in the inning not only helped the Bandits to an early lead, but also chased Lansing (16-11) starter Angel Perdomo (2-1) after just two-thirds of an inning. He walked three, surrendered the one hit and four runs - two earned - to suffer his first loss of the season.
Meanwhile, Ferrell was sharp in his second outing of the season. He retired the first eight batters he faced and didn't allow a run until the fifth, when four straight batters reached with two outs to cut the lead in half. Ferrell (1-1) got the win for five innings, allowing the two late runs on four hits and three walks while striking out seven. Abreu matched that strikeout total in four scoreless innings for his first save of the year. Abreu's seven strikeouts catapult him into a tie for third in the Midwest League in strikeouts this season with 38.
Brooks Marlow scored on a wild pitch in the eighth inning to add an insurance run and Anthony Hermelyn drove in Johnny Sewald with a sacrifice fly in the ninth to round out the scoring. Quad Cities finished the six-game road swing in the East with a 2-4 record and finished their first-half Eastern schedule with a 5-6 mark.
After a league-wide off day Sunday, the Bandits return to Western division action when the Burlington Bees come to town on Monday for a three-game series at Modern Woodmen Park. Game one is set for 11:00 a.m. CT Monday in a Book Buddies Reading Day game. Tickets are available by calling (563) 324-3000, visiting riverbandits.com or at the box office. You can also catch the game with Jake Levy and Lance Ragland on MiLB.TV and audio on K-BOB 1170 AM, riverbandits.com and the TuneIn app.***
BANDITS BLANKED AGAIN IN LANSING
Kyle Tucker has two of the Bandits four hits in shutout loss to Lugnuts
LANSING, Mich. -- The Quad Cities River Bandits were shut out for the second time in as many days in a 6-0 loss to the Lansing Lugnuts at Cooley Law School Stadium in front of 9,816 fans Friday night. Kyle Tucker had a pair of singles, half of the Bandits hits in the loss. Francisco Rios struck out a career-high 10 Bandits on his birthday to spark the shutout for Lansing.
After a 10-hit performance in their shutout loss Thursday, the Bandits (11-17) mustered just four hits Friday night. The loss ensures the third straight season-series loss to the Lugnuts (16-10) for Quad Cities. Lansing led wire-to-wire Friday, scoring in the first before an out was recorded and never relinquishing the advantage.
Andrew Guillote doubled to lead off the first and would score on a double by Juan Kelly two batters later. A double play helped Kevin McCanna limit the damage to just one run in the first inning, but the Lugnuts would add three more in the fourth. Four hits, an error and a walk in the frame brought across the three runs to help Lansing pull away. McCanna (0-2) was charged with four earned runs on eight hits in five innings, striking out five, but suffering his second loss of the year.
Rios didn't need any insurance. He surrendered one hit, a Tucker fourth-inning single, before retiring the final eight he faced in the game. Rios (2-0) went 5.2 innings, walked three and struck out the career-high ten. He had struck out nine in each of his last two starts and is now the Midwest League leader in strikeouts. In his last four starts combined, Rios has allowed just one unearned run in 22.1 innings.
Ralph Garza pitched the final three innings for Quad Cities, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks, including a solo home run from Kelly, while striking out two. Anthony Hermelyn and Dexture McCall had the other two hits for the River Bandits. All four knocks were singles. It's the first time Quad Cities has been shutout in back-to-back games since last August 13 and 14, when they scored just one run in four games as part of a six-game skid.
The Bandits will look to salvage the finale and end their six-game road swing on a positive note Saturday night at Jackson Field. Justin Ferrell (0-1, 5.79) makes his second start for Quad Cities, facing off with Angel Perdomo (2-0, 1.59) at 6:05 p.m. CT. You can join Jake Levy for the radio broadcast, beginning with the LLOYD Agencies Pregame Show at 5:50 CT on K-BOB 1170 AM, riverbandits.com and the TuneIn app.
