Bandits build early lead to back Dykxhoorn

Right-hander Brock Dykxhoorn pitched the first shutout start of the season for the Quad Cities River Bandits and earned the win with six strikeouts in five innings, and his teammates built a 6-0 lead through the first three innings on the way to a 6-2 win over the Clinton LumberKings in front of 1,010 at Modern Woodmen Park Monday night.

Catcher Jacob Nottingham homered for a second straight game, designated hitter Derek Fisher hit his first Midwest League home run, and third baseman Nick Tanielu had two doubles among three hits for the River Bandits (4-1).

In his Midwest League debut, Dykxhoorn (1-0) allowed a leadoff double to LumberKings center fielder Chantz Mack before striking out two of the next three batters to end the inning and begin a string of 10 batters retired in order. Opposite Dykxhoorn, Clinton right-hander Lukas Schiraldi (0-1) allowed a leadoff single to River Bandits center fielder Bobby Boyd, who was thrown out trying to stretch the hit to a double. First baseman Jamie Ritchie drew a walk, and with two outs, Tanielu doubled to right-center field but was thrown out trying to stretch the hit to a triple, just after Ritchie scored for a 1-0 Quad Cities lead.

In the second inning, Schiraldi walked left fielder Sean McMullen, second baseman Mott Hyde and right fielder Jorge Martinez to load the bases with one out. Shortstop Kristian Trompiz lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that scored McMullen for a 2-0 lead.

The River Bandits chased Schiraldi in the third inning. Ritchie drew a leadoff walk before Fisher blasted his third career home run to right-center field. Tanielu then doubled down the third-base line, and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. When catcher Daniel Torres threw past third base, third baseman Joe DeCarlo went to pick up the baseball and threw wildly to home plate, allowing Tanielu to score. Schiraldi was removed after getting two outs in the inning, having allowed five earned runs on four hits with five walks and two strikeouts.

Right-hander Rohn Pierce took over for Schiraldi, and Nottingham greeted him with a long ball to right-center field - his second in as many games against Clinton - for a 6-0 lead. Pierce then retired nine of the next 10 batters - walking Nottingham in his next plate appearance - to work three innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Left-hander Ryan Horstman finished the game with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two batters.

Following Dykxhoorn, right-hander Joshua James made his River Bandits debut to start the sixth inning. He began by walking Mack and allowing a two-run home run by second baseman Nelson Ward to cut the lead to 6-2. James also allowed a two-out triple to DeCarlo before escaping the inning. James did not yield a hit over the final three innings, allowing only a hit batter in the eighth inning and walk in the ninth inning. He completed four innings with three strikeouts to record his first career save.

The River Bandits conclude their series with Clinton at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Modern Woodmen Park. River Bandits right-hander Kevin Comer (1-0) is scheduled to face LumberKings right-hander Jeffeson Medina. Quad Cities seeks its first sweep of a series since winning three straight in Bowling Green July 26-18, 2014. The team's last home series sweep was July 19-21, 2014, against Lake County.

UP NEXT: The first Dew for Twosday presented by Pepsi, WOC and Q106.5 means all regular tickets are Buy-One-Get-One free, and fans who bring in an old can of Mountain Dew can exchange it for a voucher for a free 16 oz. Mountain Dew. Gates open at 6:00 p.m., when the first 2,000 fans receive a Mediacom River Bandits magnet schedule. 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.