Mateo leads River Bandits to 10-7 win in finale with Clinton
With two outs and the bases empty in a 7-7 tie in the bottom of the eighth, Quad Cities center fielder Roberto Reyes drew a two-out walk off reliever Robert Shore (1-2). Right-hander David Colvin came on to face designated hitter Brett Wiley, who singled to left field. Colvin hit shortstop Matt Williams with a pitch to load the bases, and then second baseman Luis Mateo hit a bases-clearing triple down the right field line to make it a 10-7 Quad Cities lead.
River Bandits starter Tyrell Jenkins allowed five first inning runs. Three consecutive singles opened the game, resulting in one run. After third baseman Ramon Morla struck out swinging, designated hitter Dan Paolini took Jenkins deep for a three-run home run to make it 4-0 LumberKings. Right fielder Jabari Blash doubled and scored the final run of the inning on a single by left fielder Guillermo Pimentel.
Jenkins lasted just 3 2/3 innings and allowed five earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five. He also hit two batters and was charged with two wild pitches. The outing was his third-shortest of the season.
Quad Cities (11-7 second half, 46-41 overall) scored its first run in the third on an RBI double by Wiley that plated Reyes, who drew a walk earlier in the inning. The River Bandits added a run in the fifth, when Reyes singled up the middle to score Rasmus from second.
A sixth-inning, two-run single by first baseman Roberto De La Cruz off left-hander Jeremy Dobbs cut the Clinton lead to 5-4, but the LumberKings answered by scoring two in the top of the seventh off right-hander Travis Miller. An RBI double by Paolini plated the first run with no outs, and an error by Neal Pritchard allowed the second run to score, making it 7-4.
A three-run seventh by Quad Cities tied the game. Left fielder Anthony Garcia lined a two-run double to the gap in left-center field against Shore and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Right fielder David Medina then hit the game-tying sacrifice fly to right field.
Clinton (10-8, 33-53) had no answer to right-hander Heath Wyatt (4-2), who entered the game in the top of the eighth inning in relief of Miller. Wyatt threw two scoreless frames, allowing just one runner to reach - a ninth-inning, two-out single by Blash before Pimentel grounded out to Mateo to end the game.
Quad Cities begins a six-game road trip with the opener of a three-game series at Lansing Wednesday night at 6:05 p.m. River Bandits right-hander Sam Gaviglio (5-5) will oppose Lugnuts left-hander Justin Nicolino (3-2).
UP NEXT:The River Bandits return home Wednesday, July 18, on a Pay Your Bill Wednesday presented by Mix 96. It is also Modern Woodmen Half-Price Night, and the first 2,000 fans receive a hat courtesy of Modern Woodmen of America. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-322-6348 (563-3-BANDIT) and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.
ABOUT THE BANDITS:After four years of ballpark improvements, the River Bandits and the City of Davenport last summer unveiled some of the most impressive enhancements to Modern Woodmen Park yet. A brand new, state of the art, high definition 20' x 35' video board went live on June 7, and the newly enclosed glass Sky Deck on the suite level of Modern Woodmen Park was completed last August. Those improvements, in addition to new flood protection, a new front plaza, and a new parking lot directly across the street from the ballpark, are quickly making Modern Woodmen Park one of the premier facilities in all of Minor League Baseball. More improvements are scheduled for this coming season.