Bandits advance to Division Championship

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- The Quad Cities River Bandits advanced to the 2017 Midwest League Western Division Championship Series with an 8-5 win over the Peoria Chiefs in a decisive game three of the opening round Friday night at Modern Woodmen Park. Patrick Sandoval  hurled 6.2 strong innings to lead the Bandits while Josh Rojas , Abraham Toro-Hernandez , and Chuckie Robinson  all homered to help the offensive cause.

The Bandits (2-1, 79-59) scored the first eight runs of the game. Rojas and Toro went back-to-back in the second inning as part of a four-run frame that also saw an RBI single from Colin Moran . Three more Bandits runs scored in the third led by run-scoring singles from J.J. Matijevic  and Chas McCormick . Robinson added the eighth run with a solo shot in the fourth.
Peoria (1-2, 69-70) answered with the final five runs of the game, but couldn't complete the comeback to save their season. Sandoval (1-0) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Brian O'Keefe  homered to end the no-no and shut out with one swing. Kramer Robertson  doubled home a run in the sixth. Sandoval went 6.2 innings and allowed two runs on three hits while striking out six and walking three. Peoria starter Anthony Shew  (0-1) went 1.2 innings and allowed four runs on five hits and a walk to suffer the loss. 
Peoria rattled off three runs on five hits in the eighth to get back within striking distance, but Robert Corniel  retired the side in order in the ninth to preserve the win and set up a best-of-three Western Division Championship Series with the Cedar Rapids Kernels beginning Saturday at Modern Woodmen Park. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. CDT and Carlos Sanabria  takes the hill for the Bandits against Tyler Watson  for the Kernels. If you can't make the game, join Jake Levy on 1170 AM K-BOB, riverbandits.com and the TuneIn app.