Fort Wayne wins, 9-2, to send Quad Cities to fourth straight loss for first time in the second half
DAVENPORT, Iowa (July 16, 2014) - Dustin Peterson singled home the first of four first-inning runs for Fort Wayne Wednesday night, and the third baseman added a home run as one of five TinCaps to collect multi-hit games in the visitors' 9-2 victory over the Quad Cities River Bandits in front of a season-high 7,140 at Modern Woodmen Park.
TinCaps shortstop Trea Tuner began his two-hit night by leading off the game with a double down the right-field line against right-hander Adrian Houser (4-4). Peterson followed with a single to center field and went to second base on a single by first baseman Fernando Perez, who also had two hits in the game. Right fielder Franmil Reyes grounded out to third base for the game's first out, and designated hitter Jake Bauers singled through the right side to drive in Peterson. Catcher Ryan Miller then doubled to left field, scoring Perez for a 3-0 lead, but a relay by left fielder Marc Wik and shortstop Thomas Lindauer to catcher Brian Holberton caught Bauers at home plate for the second out. Center fielder Ronnie Richardson doubled in Miller for a 4-0 TinCaps lead in a six-hit, eight-batter inning.
Left-hander Max Fried set down the first four batters in his Midwest League season debut for Fort Wayne (8-17 second half, 38-56 overall). He allowed back-to-back singles by River Bandits first baseman Chase McDonald and catcher Brian Holberton but got second baseman Jose Fernandez to line to second baseman Josh VanMeter for an inning-ending double play.
Houser did not allow a hit in the second or third innings, but in the fourth inning, he walked the first two batters - Richardson and left fielder Henry Charles. After a strikeout, Turner drove an RBI double to left field, ending Houser's day after allowing seven hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings. Houser became the fourth straight Quad Cities starter to last no more than four innings and give up at least six runs when Peterson hit a sacrifice fly against right-hander Aaron Vaughn to extend the TinCaps lead to 6-0.
Quad Cities (12-13, 47-47) reached the scoreboard in the fourth inning, when Wik hit a leadoff double and scored when third baseman J.D. Davis doubled to left-center field for the only hit of his Midwest League debut. Designated hitter Ronnie Mitchell walked, but McDonald lined to Turner for a double play. Holberton singled to put runners at first and second bases with two outs, and Fried was removed after allowing one earned run on five hits and a walk with one strikeout in 3 2/3 innings. Left-hander Payton Baskette (4-4) entered to get Fernandez to fly out to center field. Baskette scattered three hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings, getting help from the TinCaps' third double play, into which Holberton hit after Mitchell doubled and McDonald singled to start the sixth inning.
The score remained 6-1 as Vaughn retired all five batters he faced in his Midwest League debut. River Bandits right-hander Kevin Comer then retired five straight before Perez hit a two-out single in the seventh inning, and Reyes reached on an error by Lindauer. Bauers and Miller hit consecutive RBI singles to extend their team's lead to 8-1. The River Bandits managed another run in the eighth inning off right-hander Jorge Guzman, as McDonald walked with two outs and scored on Holberton's RBI double. Peterson answered with a one-out home run in the ninth inning to restore the seven-run lead against Comer, who was charged with three runs - one earned - on four hits with a season-high five strikeouts in three innings.
Quad Cities seeks to snap its four-game losing streak - its longest of the second half - at 7 p.m. Thursday against Fort Wayne. River Bandits right-hander Andrew Thurman (5-5) is scheduled to face TinCaps right-hander Jimmi Brasoban (0-4).
