BANDITS OPEN SERIES WITH FIFTH STRAIGHT WIN

The Quad Cities River Bandits fell behind 1-0 in the third but were able to take the lead off of a two-run homer by Freddy Parejo in the fourth which proved to be the difference. The Bandits added four insurance runs in the fifth. Three of those came off of Edgar Lara's team leading ninth home run of the season. Quad Cities took the series opener 6-1 with four pitchers combining for just one run allowed, while the Cougars left 14 runners on-base including three bases loaded opportunities.

Justin Smith made his second start of the season going four strong surrendering just one run on three hits, he fanned five. Joe Kelly (3-4) was the winning pitcher after working two and two-thirds innings. Though he walked five, he was able to pick up his third win of the season. Dan Calhoun and Aaron Terry combined for the final two and a third innings. They were hit for just two base knocks and added three strikeouts between the two of them.

Three Bandits had multi-hit days including Parejo. He was 2-for-4 with his two-run long ball, his second of the season. Ryde Rodriguez added an RBI in the fifth and Lara followed up with his ninth dinger of the season on a 1-for-4 night. Niko Vasquez added a two-hit evening going 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Justin Marks (2-7) was tagged with his seventh loss of the season. He threw 4.2 inning and was charged with four runs on six hits in the loss. Josh Lansford allowed another two runs in just 1.1 innings of relief for the Cougars.

The River Bandits look to take one step closer to a playoff berth. Their magic number is now two after Clinton lost on Tuesday night. Right hander Scott Schneider (5-1) takes the hill to square off with southpaw Ian Krol (4-2) on Wednesday night. Fans can enjoy a all-you-can-eat meal ticket for the 7 p.m. contest at Modern Woodmen Park.

UP NEXT: Though baseball season has bloomed, Modern Woodmen Park provides a great special events venue while the River Bandits are on the road during the 2010 season. Meanwhile, the 2010 baseball schedule has been released and fans can already put down a deposit on season ticket and mini-plan packages - including the brand new Super Seven Plan - right now by calling (563) 3-BANDIT.

ABOUT THE BANDITS: The Quad Cities River Bandits open the 2010 season by unveiling their brand new state-of-the-art field, which not only looks fantastic but should also minimize the number of rainouts this year. The team set a new post-renovation mark for single-season attendance in 2009, as 236,401 fans passed through the turnstiles for an average of 3,694 fans per game. Both figures marked the highest since 1995, while the average attendance was the third highest in franchise history and the total attendance was the fifth highest all-time. The total attendance was up 14 percent over the 2008 season, continuing a 59 percent attendance increase since Main St. Iowa purchased the franchise following the 2007 season. Ticket sales, concessions, merchandise sales, sponsorships and even Kids' Zone revenues were all up over 2008, which was one of the team's best in history! Season and group ticket deposits for 2010 are currently being accepted.