Davis pounds two homers, Bandits win but are eliminated

BURLINGTON, Iowa - J.D. Davis had his first professional multi-homer game to lead the Quad Cities River Bandits to a 9-4 win over the Burlington Bees Sunday at Community Field. Despite the victory, the River Bandits were eliminated from the playoff picture by Wisconsin's win at Beloit.

Davis got the scoring started by launching a 2-2 pitch from Burlington (29-31 second half, 67-71 overall) starter Daniel Hurtado over the right-field wall for his sixth home run of the season to put Quad Cities (35-34, 70-68) up 1-0.

Chase McDonald followed Davis' act with a solo home run, his team-best 16th of the year, to lead off the top of the fourth, making it 2-0.

Ranyelmy Mendoza's solo shot in the bottom of the fifth cut the Bandits' lead to 2-1, but Hurtado (2-4), who gave up five runs on six hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in six innings to take the loss, got himself into more trouble with the longball in the sixth. He walked McDonald with two outs and nobody on before yielding a single to A.J. Reed. Davis then clubbed his second dinger of the game to give Quad Cities the 5-1 advantage. Davis finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs, while also walking and swiping his fourth base of the season.

Burlington was able to get back in the game in the bottom of the seventh when Trevor Gretzky hit his third homer of the season, a three-run shot to draw the Bees to within 5-4. But the Bandits were able to answer immediately, with back-to-back doubles by Marc Wik and Ryan Bottger in the top of the eighth scoring a run, and Bottger coming home on a McDonald sacrifice fly to the wall in left-center, giving Quad Cities a 7-4 cushion.

In the top of the ninth, Bobby Boyd hit his first career triple to drive in Lindauer. He then came into score on Dayne Parker's sacrifice fly to left to put Quad Cities ahead 9-4.

Troy Scribner (1-2) earned the victory, going three innings in relief of Chris Lee, who tossed four scoreless frames. Scribner gave up four runs, one earned, on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

The River Bandits and Bees combined to hit five home runs in the game, the most between Quad Cities and an opponent this season.

Quad Cities will wrap up the regular season tomorrow at 2 p.m. in Burlington. Michael Feliz (8-5, 3.87 ERA) is scheduled to make the start for the River Bandits against Burlington's Alex Blackford (1-4, 2.63).

UP NEXT: The final River Bandits games will be live online at riverbandits.com and TuneIn Radio. On Labor Day, the ballpark will open with free admission at 4 p.m. for the Red, White and Boom Fireworks show scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

ABOUT THE BANDITS: Having just been named Ballpark Digest's winner of Best Ballpark Improvement in America under $1 million, the River Bandits ownership recently made one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 105 feet over the playing field, opened May 24, Space Camp opened June 20; the new Drop-N-Twist debuted in July; and the newly expanded 300-foot long zip line also reopened. In 2013, the team unveiled a new 220-foot long dual zip line, a rock climbing wall, and a number of new bounce houses. Last season, the team's major league affiliate, the Houston Astros, saw all six of its affiliates reach the playoffs - the first time in a decade any MLB team can claim such success. The River Bandits were one of three affiliates to reach the championship round and one of two to win their league championship.