Snappers Split Friday Double-Header In Dramatic Fashion

A series full of double-headers concluded with the Beloit Snappers (59-56) splitting Friday's two games with the Quad Cities River Bandits (66-51) Friday at Pohlman Field in front of 1,453 fans.

Game two had incredible excitement all the way to the end, with the Snappers pulling out a 4-3 win in seven innings.
With the River Bandits already having scored two runs in the top of the seventh and the tying run on third, a deep fly ball into the right-center gap by Marty Costes should have scored the evening run. Austin Beck had other plans, making a fantastic diving catch, extending his body, to make the third and game-winning out and secure the victory.
Beck had a great game aside from his catch, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and securing his team-leading 30^th multi-hit game of the season.
The Snappers jumped out to an early lead in the first inning on a Hunter Hargrove sac fly to score Lazaro Armenteros. A passed ball in the fourth allowed Jesus Lage to score from third and heading into the fifth, it was the Snappers ahead 2-0.
A Bandits RBI single in the fifth cut the lead to 2-1, but the Snappers would add insurance runs in their frames of the fifth and sixth, with the latter run proving integral in the win.
A Logan Farrar RBI single to score Beck in the fifth and an Armenteros single to score Skyler Weber in the sixth pushed the lead to 4-1.
Quad Cities fought back in the top of the seventh. Jonathan Lacroix doubled with Colton Shaver on first and a throwing error to the infield from Beck let Shaver score. Lacroix would right after on a David Hensley triple to make it a 4-3 ballgame, but Hensley would be stranded there on Beck's robbed hit.
Jesus Zambrano was the first reliever used by Beloit, getting his team-leading eighth win in two innings of work. Heath Bowers gave up the two runs in the seventh but hung on for his first save of the season.
Snappers starter Gus Varland was making first start and appearance in Single-A of his career. The 14^th-round pick in this past June draft pitched 3.2 strong innings of shutout baseball, with zero walks and four strikeouts.
Game one was just an 11 combined hit effort by both teams in a tough 1-0 loss for Beloit. The lone run came in the top of the second when Bandits Chandler Taylor turned on a pitch and sent it to straightaway center.
Jean Ruiz took the loss, going five innings and giving up just the one run, walking and striking out three. Seth Martinez would come on to pitch the final two frames scoreless.
Luis Garcia started for Quad Cities and took the win, also going five innings of six hits and three strikeouts. It was Willy Collado who came on for the last two frames and got his sixth save of the season to close it out.
The Snappers dropped two of three in the series and lost just their fourth series in their last 11.
The Snappers will wrap now host the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in a four-game series, their first series with the T-Rats since May 15^th - 17^th. Starting on the mound for the Snappers will be right-hander Brady Feigl (0-1, 9.00). Opposing the Snappers for Wisconsin will be right-hander Nelson Hernandez (10-7, 4.57).
Friday through Sunday is Educational Weekend-Back To School special at Pohlman Field, presented by Educators Credit Union. All teachers, with the presentation of their school I.D., get into each of the three games for free.
Saturday's game is a 7:00 p.m. first pitch with a second of back-to-back fireworks shows after the game, presented by Kerry.
The Beloit Snappers are a member of the Midwest League and have been the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics since 2013. For more ticket information, contact the Snappers office at (608) 362-2272 or on our website, www.snappersbaseball.com.