Bandits get another balanced win in Peoria

PEORIA, Ill. - Four Quad Cities River Bandits had multi-hit games, and for a second straight game, every batter in the lineup reached base, while the bullpen pitched five shutout innings, which helped the visitors win a 5-2 final over the Peoria Chiefs at Dozer Park Friday night.

Eight players had at least one hit for Quad Cities (2-0), which opened the scoring in the third inning for a second straight night. Against Chiefs left-hander Austin Gomber (0-1), designated hitter Jorge Martinez led off the third inning with a single to left field in his first River Bandits at-bat. Shortstop Kristian Trompiz sacrificed Martinez to second base before left fielder Bobby Boyd popped out to shortstop. With two outs, a wild pitch moved Martinez to third base, and second baseman Mott Hyde singled to left field for the game's first run. Center fielder Derek Fisher then singled to left field, and third baseman Nick Tanielu hit an infield single to the shortstop hole to load the bases. First baseman Jamie Ritchie drew a walk to force in a run, and right fielder Ryan Bottger followed with an RBI single, but left fielder Blake Drake threw out Tanielu at home plate to keep the Quad Cities lead to 3-0.

In the fourth inning, catcher Alfredo Gonzalez drew a leadoff walk, and Martinez reached when Gomber made an errant throw to first base. Gomber then became the second straight starter for Peoria (0-2) to be removed before recording an out in the fourth inning. Right-hander Robby Rowland entered, and Martinez stole second base on his first pitch, and when catcher Steve Bean threw the ball into center field, Gonzalez scored to make it 4-0.

In his first River Bandits start, left-hander Bryan Radziewski stranded a runner at third base in the first inning and struck out four straight Chiefs at one point. He allowed a fourth-inning walk to right fielder Nick Thompson and a single to designated hitter Justin Ringo, followed by a two-run double to right-center field from first baseman Alex DeLeon, cutting the lead to 4-2. A strikeout and popout ended the inning, and Radziewski left after four innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

The River Bandits added their final run against Rowland in the fifth inning, when Fisher hit a leadoff single to center field and scored on Tanielu's triple to right-center field. Quad Cities did not score the rest of the game, leaving two runners on base in each of the final five innings, and 14 total in the game. Bottger, Fisher, Hyde and Tanielu each had two hits for the River Bandits.

With a 5-2 lead, right-hander Joe Musgrove (1-0) began the bottom of the fifth inning and faced the minimum through his first two innings, thanks to a pickoff of Chiefs shortstop Oscar Mercado and Gonzalez catching Thompson trying to steal a base. Musgrove also worked around long singles in the seventh and eighth innings to complete four scoreless innings with five strikeouts.

In the ninth inning, right-hander Jose Montero hit Chiefs designated hitter Justin Ringo with his first Midwest League pitch before a popout and two strikeouts ended the victory and earned Montero his first career save in 50 professional appearances.

The River Bandits seek a sweep of their opening series in Peoria at 6 p.m. Saturday. Right-hander Daniel Mengden faces Chiefs right-hander Daniel Poncedeleon. The pregame show is at 5:45 p.m. on Real Country AM 1170 KBOB, 1170kbob.com and www.riverbandits.com.

UP NEXT: The third annual Bandits Race to Home 5K presented by Palmer Chiropractic Clinics is at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 11. Walk-up registration is available from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. The post-race party will have live music, free bounce houses, games and food in the Party Plaza. All proceeds benefit the Bandit Scholars Program. Opening Day is Sunday, April 12, at Modern Woodmen Park! Individual tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office and online at riverbandits.com. Ticket plans of 12 to 70 games - which include free parking, reserved seats, merchandise discounts, and guaranteed giveaways - are available by calling 563-324-3000.

ABOUT THE BANDITS: The River Bandits ownership in 2014 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.