NO-HITTER HIGHLIGHTS DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP
Quad Cities (2-4) hurlers Hector Cardenas and Kevin Thomas brought the River Bandits their first win of the season with the combined no-hitter, holding Beloit to just three baserunners that and facing just two batters more than the minimum. The no-no was the first by a Quad Cities pitcher since August 12, 2001, when Brian Wolfe tossed a nine-inning no-hitter against Dayton in a 2-0 win. The pair of Wednesday victories also gave the River Bandits the series victory over Beloit (1-5), two games to one.
Cardenas (1-0) stole the show, dominating the Snappers with five no-hit innings. He threw just 47 pitches and struck out four while facing one batter more than the minimum. Thomas (1) earned the save with two shutout frames of relief, striking out one and inducing a game-ending double-play to clinch the no-hitter with the potential game-tying run at the plate.
Offensively, the River Bandits got on the board in the second inning thanks to their first home run of the year, a solo shot to right by Chris Swauger. They added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth to push the lead to 3-0. Alex Castellanos led off the fifth with a base hit and eventually scored on a two-out, infield single by Paul Cruz. One inning later it was Castellanos doing the damage again after being hit by a pitch with two outs. He broke for second base as Roberto Espinoza singled through the right side on a hit-and-run, and Castellanos caught the Snappers defense off guard as he kept on running and scored all the way from first for a 3-0 lead.
After the historic win in game one, Quad Cities was hungry for the sweep heading into game two.
The River Bandits fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, but rallied in the second to capture the lead. Domnit Bolivar started the inning with a double to right-center while a hit batsman and two walks loaded the bases and forced in the game-tying run. Jon Edwards followed with a sacrifice fly to right field, putting Quad Cities ahead by a 2-1 score.
A two-run homer by Ramon Santana in the top of the fifth gave the Snappers a 3-2 advantage, but the River Bandits recaptured the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Consecutive walks opened the frame and a sacrifice bunt put men at second and third with one away. Ryde Rodriguez then tied the game with a sacrifice fly to left that was caught in foul territory.
Moments later it appeared the inning would end when Niko Vasquez struck out swinging, but the ball bounced away from the catcher for a wild pitch and Castellanos scampered home from third with the go-ahead run. That opened the door for a two-out rally, as Cruz singled home Vasquez and came around to score to make it a 6-3 ballgame.
Adam Veres (1-0) earned the win out of the bullpen with 1.2 perfect innings in relief of starter Arquimedes Nieto, who struck out six over 4.1 frames. Casey Mulligan (1) fanned two in a perfect seventh inning to earn the save.
UP NEXT: The River Bandits continue their season-opening homestand on Thursday as the Peoria Chiefs come to town for the Modern Woodmen Park Community Shred and $2 drink specials while the first Fireworks Friday, Rockin' Saturday and U.S. Bank Family Sundays of the year will take place over the weekend. On Tuesday, April 21, the park will play host to NCAA Division I baseball for the first time with a match-up between the University of Iowa and Western Illinois.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: Under new ownership and management in 2008, the Quad Cities River Bandits topped 207,000 fans for only the sixth time in team history and the first time in 12 years. Having recently completed one of the most successful seasons in the history of the franchise - and with a renewed dedication to fans, sponsors and the Quad Cities community - the return of the River Bandits has brought a resurgence of support for the team. BanditWear, season tickets and mini-plans, and individual game tickets are on sale for the 2009 season by calling (563) 3-BANDIT or heading to www.RiverBandits.com. But hurry - good seats are going fast!