Quad Cities Wallops Beloit in Matinee

Beloit, Wisconsin – The Quad Cities River Bandits (45-43, 15-10) exploded for their largest win of the season Wednesday afternoon, shutting out the Beloit Sky Carp (43-48, 16-10) 13-0 at ABC Supply Stadium.

While the 13-run effort propelled the Bandits to their largest margin of victory this season, the shutout marks Quad Cities’ sixth of the year and the clubs second in its last three games.

Despite matching his career-high with four walks, River Bandits’ starter Tanner Jones set the tone on the hill, completing his second scoreless start of the season with three strikeouts.

After going down in order on just eight pitches in the opening frame, Quad Cities’ bats erupted for five runs in the second against Sky Carp starter Brayan Mendoza, beginning with a solo shot off the bat of Chris Brito, his first of the season.

Two batters later, Beloit committed the first of its three errors, allowing a run on Jose Cerice’s sacrifice-bunt before Diego Guzman gave Quad Cities a 3-0 lead with an RBI-single. One batter later, another error allowed Trevor Werner to score and set up Asbel Gonzalez’s RBI-fielder’s choice.

The outpouring continued against Mendoza in the third, as Derlin Figueroa smashed his team-leading 19th home run of the season to put Quad Cities ahead 7-0.

Both starters finished their day with a scoreless fourth, but the River Bandits nearly doubled their lead in the fifth against former Quad Cities right-hander Jesus Rios, who allowed RBI-singles to Cerice, Tyriq Kemp, Erick Torres, and Brito. The Bandits added two more tallies on a wild pitch and Guzman’s first triple of the season.

Rios was removed after 0.2 innings and replaced by right-hander Peyton Fosher, who ended the rally after Quad Cities had already surged ahead 13-0.

Four River Bandits’ relievers teamed up to complete the shutout and scattered just three Beloit base runners over the final five innings of the game. Tommy Molsky, who appeared on the mound a team-high 40 times for Quad Cities last season, struck out two and pitched a scoreless fifth, before Cory Ronan handled the sixth and seventh with help from two strikeouts of his own.

Ryan Ure took care of the eighth and LP Langevin stuck out Chase Jaworsky to end the game and the ninth.

Molsky (1-0) earned the win in his return to the Midwest League mound, while Mendoza (3-4) was saddled with the loss for Beloit, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits, two walks, and four strikeouts over 4.0 innings.

The River Bandits, now in second place and just a half-game behind the Sky Carp for first in the Midwest League West, return to ABC Supply Stadium for game three of the six-game series tomorrow night and send Blake Wolters (1-7, 11.06) to the mound opposite Nate Payne (3-5, 4.20). First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.