BANDITS CAN'T OVERTAKE KANE COUNTY AND FALL 7-4
The Bandits had chipped into a Kane County lead and were only down 4-3 in the eighth inning when Rashun Dixon hit a two-run shot off Dean Kiekhefer to put the game out of reach for the Bandits.
Edgar Lara and Luis Mateo led the way offensively for the River Bandits on Thursday night. Lara had an RBI single and a solo home run to lead the Bandits with two RBI. Luis Mateo hit a solo home run as well and added a single to give him two hits on the night.
Eric Fornataro (7-9) started the game for the River Bandits but only lasted 3.2 innings while getting tagged with the loss. Fornataro gave up four runs on six hits. He walked four batters and struck out none. Cougar starter Dan Straily (8-7) picked up his eighth win of the year going five innings for Kane County. Straily struck out seven Bandits while only giving up two runs on five hits. Jose Guzman entered the game in the ninth and earned his 14th save of 2010.
The River Bandits and Cougars finish off their three game series tomorrow night at Modern Woodmen Park with first pitch scheduled for 7:00. Right hander Jorge Rondon (4-5) will take the mound for Quad Cities to face Ian Krol (7-4). Tomorrow marks another Lujack's Fireworks Friday and Team Picture Giveaway.
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.