Quad Cities’ Rally Falls Short in 5-4 Loss to Beloit

Davenport, Iowa – The River Bandits got the tying and winning runs aboard in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday but ultimately came up short, losing to the Beloit Sky Carp 5-4 at Modern Woodmen Park.

Beloit struck for the game’s first run early, using a trio of singles capped off by an RBI-poke from Connor Caskenette to take a 1-0 against Emmanuel Reyes in the opening inning.

Quad Cities’ starter leaned on a double play and three strikeouts to keep the River Bandits’ deficit at one through the next three innings, allowing Luke Pelzer to plate Nolan Sailors and Asbel Gonzalez with a two-out, two-run triple off Beloit starter Nate Payne for a 2-1 QC lead in the fourth.

The swing would prove the only blemish on the night for Payne, who matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts and posted his second-straight quality start.

Quad Cities’ lead lasted for only five batters, as walks from Cam Cannarella and Aiva Arquette set up Caskenette’s second RBI-swing of the night: a three-run homer that put the Sky Carp back in front 4-2.

Reyes returned to the mound for the sixth and faced the first first three batters of the frame, but after walking Dillon Head and Wilfredo Lara’s single, was pulled in favor of Coleman Piccard. The right-hander uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Head to score, but worked out of a bases-loaded-jam to ultimately close out the sixth before completing a scoreless seventh to keep Beloit’s lead at 5-2.

While Sky Carp reliever Juan De La Cruz pitched the bottom of the seventh and did not allow a run, Quad Cities got to Jake Christianson in the eighth with Sailors’ single and Gonzalez’s walk setting up Ramon Ramirez’s RBI-double. The swing made it a 5-4 Sky Carp lead and extended the catcher’s league-leading RBI total to 36 in as many games this year.

After Juan Reynoso retired Jose Cerice to close out the Bandits’ eighth-inning rally, Quad Cities right-hander Nick Conte guided his team to the bottom of the ninth, firing off back-to-back scoreless efforts for the second time in the series.

With Reynoso returning to the mound for the final inning, Quad Cities immediately got the tying-run aboard on a Derlin Figueroa walk. After Angel Acosta’s sacrifice bunt moved him to second, Reynoso struck out pinch hitter Tyriq Kemp. The right-hander then walked the winning run aboard in Nolan Sailors but then struck out Gonzalez to secure his team-leading fifth save of the season.

Payne (1-3) earned his first win of the year for Beloit, while Reyes (3-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing a season-high five runs over a 5.1-inning performance.

De La Cruz (1) and Christianson (1) each earned holds out of the Sky Carp bullpen.

Quad Cities returns to Modern Woodmen Park for game five of the six-game series tomorrow night and sends Royals No. 3 prospect David Shields (3-3, 4.28) to the mound opposite Beloit’s Liomar Martinez (1-2, 7.46). First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.