Super Sixth Inning Propels Bandits to 7-4 Win

The Quad Cities River Bandits capped their six-game homestand with a 7-4 triumph over the West Michigan Whitecaps on Monday afternoon at Modern Woodmen Park. A six-run bottom of the third inning was the difference for the Bandits as they improved to 15-15 in the second half.
West Michigan grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning for the second straight day. Brady Policelli opened the game with an infield single to the left side. He would end up on third base when Kody Clemens dropped a single into shallow left field. Brock Deatherage snuck a base hit into center field to score Policelli and give the Whitecaps a 1-0 lead. Another single loaded the bases for Reynaldo Rivera who promptly rolled into a double play that scored another run.
Clemens lined a triple off of the wall in right field with one out in the third inning to start another West Michigan threat against starter Peter Solomon. Deatherage followed with a sacrifice fly that increased the lead to 3-0.

Whitecaps pitcher Wilkel Hernandez was cruising through two innings, but the Bandits broke through in a huge way in the bottom of the third. Three consecutive singles from Logan Mattix, Miguelangel Sierra and Seth Beer opened the inning and loaded the bases with no outs. David Hensley then dumped a shallow single into right field to drive in the Bandits first run. Hensley's hit was the Bandits first with the bases loaded in their last 33 chances. Quad Cities moved in front 4-3 on bases loaded walks worked by Chandler Taylor, Michael Papierski and Scott Schreiber. Jonathan Lacroix was hit by a pitch to force in another run and Mattix came back around with a sacrifice fly in his second at bat of the frame to stretch the lead to 6-3.
The Bandits loaded the bases once again in the fourth inning against reliever Oswaldo Castillo. Beer opened the frame with a walk and went to third on a double from Taylor. Colton Shaver was hit by a pitch to fill the bases. With Papierski at the plate, a wild pitch allowed Beer to score and the advantage increased to 7-3.
The final run of the game came across in the West Michigan fifth. Policelli worked the count full and drove a Solomon fastball out of the park in left center for a solo home run to trim the lead to 7-4. The Whitecaps put two men on base in both the eighth and ninth innings, but never scored again.
The Bandits were outhit 8-7 by West Michigan. Hensley reached base three times and was the only member of the River Bandits with multiple hits. Policelli, Clemens and Deatherage each had two hits for the Whitecaps. Beer extended his hit streak to 10 games with his third inning single.
Solom picked up the win by tossing 5.0 innings during which he allowed four runs on six hits. Parker Mushinski followed by dealing 3.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and only one hit allowed. Brendan Feldmann earned the save by working a scoreless ninth.
The River Bandits (15-15, 55-45) have the day off on Tuesday before returning to action on Wednesday in Burlington at Community Field. In game one against the Bees, the River Bandits will throw RHP Leovanny Rodriguez (4-3, 3.38). First pitch is at 6:30 p.m.
All River Bandits games are broadcast on 1170 K-BOB and TuneIn Radio. Home games are also available with video on MiLB.TV.