Quad Cities (15-18, 45-58) got their first of a current six-game road trip after suffering a series sweep in South Bend, and will look to clinch a series win in game two of the three-game set on Saturday night. Wisconsin (13-20, 47-56) lost their seventh game in a row and fell to just 2-14 since July 15. For the second straight night, the River Bandits got a fantastic outing from their starting pitcher. After Jorge Rondon fired off seven innings of one-run ball on Thursday in South Bend, Arquimedes Nieto dealt for six shutout innings in Saturday's series-opener in Wisconsin. Nieto racked up a career-high eight strikeouts while walking one and allowing just four singles on the night. He faced the minimum through his first four innings and then worked around a pair of jams to strand runners at the corners in both the fifth and sixth innings. Meanwhile, Osvaldo Morales started the scoring with his team-high 14th home run of the year to lead off the second inning. The powerful Dominican first baseman took a 2-1 pitch and lifted a towering fly ball to left that just cleared the wall for a 1-0 River Bandits advantage. Quad Cities extended the lead in the top of the fifth. Frederick Parejo opened the frame with a double and a pair of walks helped load the bases with two outs. Jason Stidham then looped a single to right-center that brought home a pair of runners to give Quad Cities a 3-0 cushion. In the ninth, the River Bandits turned a well-pitched game into a blowout. A single, a walk and a hit batsman loaded the bases with one out and Jarred Bogany's single to right moved everybody up an additional 90 feet. Following a pitching change, the second run of the inning scored on a passed ball and Jose Garcia fisted a two-run single to left as Quad Cities suddenly took a commanding 7-0 lead. After Nieto's dominant performance, Adam Veres tossed two innings and Dave Carpenter twirled the ninth to finish off a combined seven-hit shutout - the River Bandits' third of the year. Wisconsin's Cody Scarpetta (2-8) took the loss despite a quality start, allowing three runs over six innings. He allowed just four hits, but the homer by Morales and the two-run single by Stidham were enough to send him to defeat. UP NEXT: The River Bandits continue their six-game road trip with game two of a three-game series against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday night. They will return to the Quad Cities on Monday, August 3, for a four-game series against the Cedar Rapids Kernels that starts with Klement's Dollar Dog Night! ABOUT THE BANDITS: The Quad Cities River Bandits drew more than 103,000 fans in the first half of the season for only the third time in team history. Ticket sales, concessions, merchandise sales, sponsorships and even Kids' Zone revenues are all up over last season, which was one of the team's best in history! Banditwear, mini-plans, and individual game tickets are on sale for the 2009 season by calling (563) 3-BANDIT or heading to www.RiverBandits.com. But hurry - good seats are going fast! |
