GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (MAY 16, 2013) - The Quad Cities River Bandits only had a three-run fifth inning for their offensive output at Wisconsin Thursday afternoon, but left-hander Colton Cain, right-hander Mike Hauschild and right-hander John Neely combined to keep the home team to a single run in a 3-1 win in the deciding game of a three-game series at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

In a game with five errors, two unconventional double plays and other assorted oddities, the starting pitchers - Cain for Quad Cities and right-hander Austin Blaski (2-1) for Wisconsin began by matching each other with four scoreless innings. Quad Cities loaded the bases in the fourth inning on a walk, single and Blaski's first of two errors on bunt attempts. With the bases loaded and no outs, catcher Roberto Pena grounded to shortstop Orlando Arcia, who tagged out baserunner Jesse Wierzbicki going from second to third, and then tagged Miles Hamblin, who had only gone a short distance from third base. Quad Cities right fielder Ariel Ovando struck out swinging to end the inning still in a scoreless tie. The River Bandits (23-16) had their first quirky defensive play in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Timber Rattlers second baseman Chris McFarland grounded to second baseman Austin Elkins, who misfired over the head of Wierzbicki at first base, but Pena grabbed the carom from the first-base dugout screen and fired to Wierzbicki, who tagged out McFarland after he had turned toward second base.

In the fifth inning, Elkins drew a leadoff walk and moved to second base on a single by left fielder Jordan Scott. When center fielder Teoscar Hernandez put a bunt to the third-base side of the pitcher's mound, Blaski fielded the ball and threw it past third baseman Jose Sermo, which allowed Elkins to score and each runner to advance two bases. Shortstop Carlos Correa brought in Scott with a groundout, and Hamblin singled home Hernandez for a 3-0 advantage. Wisconsin answered in the fifth inning when Arcia hit a leadoff single against Cain, and left fielder Tyrone Taylor hit an RBI double to left-center field. After Cain retired right fielder Michael Reed on a groundout, manager Omar Lopez brought in Hauschild - the first second starter of a tandem to enter in the middle of an inning this season. Center fielder Mitch Haniger singled to put runners at first and third base before Hauschild induced an inning-ending double play, keeping it 3-1. Hauschild also escaped a second-and-third, one-out jam in the seventh by getting Reed to line out and Haniger to fly out.

Each team made the final out of its ninth inning by catching a baserunner going past third base. Right-hander Jono Armold induced a one-out ground ball by Hernandez that led to a force out at second, a late throw to first and a throw to get Ovando rounding third. Neely allowed two walks in the bottom half, before Haniger to hit a two-out grounder that caromed off third baseman Ryan Dineen into shallow left field, where Correa stopped it and threw to Dineen, who ran down Arcia and threw to Pena for the final out as Arcia left the basepath.

Thursday's victory also means The Captain's Table at 4801 River Drive in Moline will offer The Captain's Table Victory Discount on Friday, May 17. Anyone who mentions the River Bandits victory can receive a free appetizer or dessert with the purchase of two lunches or dinners with beverages on Friday, May 17. The River Bandits begin a four-game series with Beloit at 7 p.m. Friday, when Quad Cities left-hander Brian Holmes (3-2) and right-hander Jordan Jankowski (2-0) will face Snappers right-hander Seth Streich (3-2).

UP NEXT: The River Bandits begin their next home stand Friday, May 17, with Petrolpalooza Night - when berm tickets are 10 cents lower than the average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline at BP, and bleacher tickets are 10 cents below the price of a premium unleaded gallon. Friday will also feature a Fireworks show presented by Eastern Iowa Toyota Dealers, WLLR and WQAD. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

Four-run seventh inning lifts Wisconsin past Quad Cities in series opener

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (MAY 14, 2013) - The Quad Cities River Bandits batted around in an inning for the second time in as many games Tuesday, but Wisconsin Timber Rattlers left fielder Victor Roache hit a go-ahead, two-run home run to cap a four-run seventh inning and give the home team a 9-7 win at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

Three River Bandits had multi-hit games, and right-hander Jamaine Cotton was in line for a victory in his first Midwest League start, as the visitors built a 7-4 lead by the fourth inning. Right-hander Vincent Velasquez took over with the same lead to start the sixth inning and worked around a walk and single for a scoreless inning to start his outing.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, third baseman Mike Garza drove a ball to the left-field wall that Terrell Joyce relayed to second baseman Austin Elkins for the first out. With the bases empty, shortstop Orlando Arcia singled to left-center field, and Velasquez walked designated hitter Tyrone Taylor. A wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third bases, and right fielder Michael Reed grounded an infield single up the middle to bring in the first run. Center fielder Mitch Haniger closed the lead to 7-6 with a sacrifice fly to center field, and Roache came to bat with two outs and a runner at first base. After Velasquez delivered a strike, Roache launched the next pitch over the left-field wall for an 8-7 lead - his second go-ahead, two-run home run against Quad Cities this season. Roache homered in his first professional at bat against the River Bandits on April 21.

Wisconsin (18-17) added a run in the eighth inning against right-hander Richard Rodriguez, who went 1 1/3 innings in his Midwest League debut. Timber Rattlers right-hander Tyler Wagner (4-1) struck out five batters and faced one over the minimum in the final four innings, with the only hit a seventh-inning double by designated hitter Brian Blasik, who led Quad Cities with three hits. Shortstop Carlos Correa was 2-for-5 and scored a game-high three runs, and first baseman Jesse Wierzbicki was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs before he was ejected following his words to home plate umpire Evan Barger after being called out on strikes in the ninth inning.

Quad Cities (21-16) took a 1-0, first-inning lead when Correa scored on a throwing error by Arcia. Wisconsin answered with four runs in the first inning against Cotton, as Haniger hit a two-run home run, and catcher Parker Berberet grounded a two-run double down the right-field line for a 4-1 lead. The River Bandits rallied for five runs - including four with two outs - on four hits in the second inning, with Joyce hitting a go-ahead two-run double. Wierzbicki extended the lead to 7-4 with an RBI double in the fourth . Cotton finished five innings and faced the minimum over his final 4 1/3 innings, as catcher Roberto Pena threw out Reed trying to steal in the second, and first baseman Adam Giacalone hit into an inning-ending double play in the third. Cotton set down the final seven batters he faced.

The River Bandits and Timber Rattlers continue their series at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, when Quad Cities right-handers Lance McCullers (0-3) and Daniel Minor (2-1) face Wisconsin right-handers Leonard Lorenzo (1-2) and Damien Magnifico (4-0).

UP NEXT: The River Bandits begin their next home stand Friday, May 17, with Petrolpalooza Night - when berm tickets are the price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline at BP, and bleacher tickets are the price of a premium unleaded gallon. Friday will also feature a Fireworks show presented by Eastern Iowa Toyota Dealers, WLLR and WQAD. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

Astros rehabbing pitcher Josh Fields tosses two scoreless innings in eventual 11-inning Game 1 loss

DAVENPORT, Iowa (MAY 10, 2013) - Houston Astros right-hander Josh Fields tossed two shutout innings in the first major league rehab assignment for Quad Cities at Modern Woodmen Park since 2006, starting a stretch of 10 scoreless innings between the River Bandits and Cedar Rapids Kernels to start their doubleheader Friday, but the visitors took a 2-0, 11-inning win in Game 1 and a 5-1 win in Game 2 in front of 2,003 fans.

Fields struck out three batters in his first-ever professional start, allowing a lone two-out infield single in the first inning. Following Fields, right-hander Jamaine Cotton struck out five batters in four scoreless innings for an impressive Midwest League debut.

Meanwhile, Kernels right-hander Hudson Boyd allowed just two hits in six shutout innings. Each team loaded the bases and failed to score late in Game 1. The Kernels had the bases loaded with none out in the seventh, and Quad Cities filled the bases with one out in the 10th inning.

In the first of two scheduled seven-inning games, the 10 scoreless innings marked the longest such tie in a game for Quad Cities since its 1-0, 11-inning walk-off home win against Cedar Rapids on Aug. 26, 2007.

In the top of the 11th inning, Kernels first baseman Dalton Hicks drove in the game's first run with a RBI double to deep left field to score shortstop Jorge Polanco from first after his one-out single. Right fielder Adam Brett Walker followed with a double down the left field to bring in Hicks for the Kernels' second run against right-hander Cameron Lamb (1-2). Right-hander Tim Atherton (2-1) kept Quad Cities scoreless for the final 1 2/3 innings for the victory.

In Game 2, the Kernels rode their momentum to a four-run first inning against Quad Cities right-hander Vincent Velasquez (3-1). Hicks, third baseman Travis Harrison and catcher Tyler Grimes each had RBI-doubles, while Polanco drove in the game's first run with a single.

Cedar Rapids added another run in the third on a single off the bat of Harrison, which drove in Walker from third base. In the seventh inning, Quad Cities left fielder Jordan Scott knocked a sacrifice fly to left field to score catcher Roberto Pena, who walked earlier in the frame, for the Bandits' only run of the doubleheader.

Both starting pitchers in Game 2 set career highs with nine strikeouts each. Velasquez fanned nine in 4 2/3 innings, while Kernels left-hander Mason Melotakis (3-1) struck out as many in 5 1/3 innings. The two teams struck out 25 times in Game 1 and 21 times in Game 2.

After dropping their first home series of the season, the River Bandits open a four-game, three-day series with the Peoria Chiefs with a doubleheader at 6 p.m. Saturday. Quad Cities will play its first consecutive doubleheaders on consecutive days in seven years. Quad Cities and Lansing split consecutive doubleheaders on May 1-2, 2006, with Quad Cities winning each Game 1 as hosts and losing Game 2. River Bandits right-hander Daniel Minor (2-0) is scheduled to face Chiefs right-hander Tyrell Jenkins (1-2) in Saturday's Game 1.

UP NEXT: Saturday's doubleheader is AUSA Military Appreciation Night, with postgame fireworks on a Fan Appreciation Saturday presented by CBS4. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

ABOUT THE BANDITS: The River Bandits will make one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 112 feet over the playing field, is scheduled to open in early June, along with two new zip lines, a carousel, a Frog Hopper, new bounce houses and many other fun attractions. The team also boasts a new major league affiliate, the Houston Astros, and fans will see last year's No. 1 overall draft pick, Carlos Correa. The Astros will also make the very first selection in the major league draft this June and could have another top pick end up in the Quad Cities. With new rides, new attractions, new improvements, a new affiliate and future major league stars, this season will be one every fan will not want to miss!

*****

Right-hander will be first player to rehab with Quad Cities at Modern Woodmen Park since 2006

DAVENPORT, Iowa (MAY 9, 2013) - Houston Astros right-hander Josh Fields is scheduled to make a rehab appearance at Modern Woodmen Park Friday at 7 p.m. against the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Fields is set to become the first major leaguer to have a rehab assignment with Quad Cities at Modern Woodmen Park since 2006.

Fields, 27, made his major league debut April 2 against the Texas Rangers. He was the first overall pick by Houston from Boston in the Major League Rule 5 draft in December. This season he pitched two consecutive scoreless relief outings of 1/3 inning each before being placed on the disabled list with a right forearm strain April 8, with the move retroactive to April 4. Fields has not pitched since April 3 against Texas and is scheduled to pitch two innings in Friday's game against the Kernels.

A native of Athens, Ga., Fields was originally selected by the Seattle Mariners out of the University of Georgia in the first round (20th overall) of the June 2008 draft. He was acquired by the Boston Red Sox with left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard in a three-team deal that included the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, 2011. He finished the 2012 season with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox before being selected by Houston in the Rule 5 draft in December. His minor league totals in the Mariners and Astros systems include 132 games - all relief appearances - an 11-8 record, 3.57 ERA and 23 saves in 176 2/3 innings.

The last major leaguer to have a rehab assignment with the River Bandits was former St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Brian Tallet, who pitched at Peoria on May 17, 2011. The last major leaguer to rehab for the Quad Cities franchise in Davenport was former St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Mark Mulder on Aug. 6, 2006, against the Clinton LumberKings.

UP NEXT: Friday night will feature a Fireworks show presented by Eastern Iowa Toyota Dealers, WLLR, and WQAD, and it's Home and Garden Night presented by Total Turf & Landscape, as the first 100 fans will receive a Garden Mat from Total Turf & Landscape. Single game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.