The Quad Cities River Bandits and Beloit Snappers split a doubleheader at Pohlman Field on Friday night. The River Bandits won the opening game by a 1-0 score and Beloit countered with a 4-3 victory in the nightcap. Beloit won the season series 9-8. The River Bandits struck for the
The Quad Cities River Bandits and Beloit Snappers split a doubleheader at Pohlman Field on Friday night. The River Bandits won the opening game by a 1-0 score and Beloit countered with a 4-3 victory in the nightcap. Beloit won the season series 9-8.
The River Bandits struck for the lone run of the opening game in the second inning. Chandler Taylor started the frame by blasting a solo home run to center field off of Beloit pitcher Jean Ruiz. The long ball was Taylor's sixth of the season and put the Bandits in front 1-0.
The Bandits pitching staff made that slim margin hold up the rest of the way despite Beloit putting a runner on base in five different innings. Luis Garcia picked up the win by working 5.0 shutout innings with three strikeouts and scattering six hits. Willy Collado earned the save by retiring six of the seven hitters he faced over the final 2.0 frames. The shutout was the 13th of the season for the pitching staff which is the highest total in the Midwest League.
Beloit outhit the Bandits 6-5. Nick Allen and Lazaro Armenteros each finished with two hits for the Snappers.
Beloit was the team that jumped out to a good start in the nightcap. In the first inning, Armenteros doubled off of the wall in left field with one out and moved to third on a single from Austin Beck. Hunter Hargrove gave the Snappers the lead in the following at bat by lifting a sacrifice fly to center field.
Jesus Lage walked with two outs in the fourth inning to start a rally for the Snappers. Allen's ensuing single allowed Lage to race all the way to third. Bandits starter Cesar Rosado unleashed a wild pitch in the next at bat and Lage scored to increase the lead to 2-0.
The River Bandits cut the lead in half in the fifth inning, but left more on the table. Cesar Salazar and Scott Schreiber each singled and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Logan Mattix drove in Salazar with a base hit through the right side to pull within 2-1. The Bandits ended up loading the bases with one out on a walk from Colton Shaver. The next two hitters each struck out to leave the bases full.
Beloit added insurance runs over their final two at bats. Logan Farrar rolled a base hit up the middle to make it 3-1 in the fifth inning and then Armenteros drove in another with a sharp single in the sixth to widen the gap to 4-1.
The Bandits made a late push in the top of the seventh. Shaver and Jonathan Lacroix both singled with one out. Shaver scored following a throwing error by center fielder Austin Beck following Lacroix's hit. David Hensley just missed tying the game when he blasted a long fly ball off of the center field wall. He raced into third with an RBI triple that left the tying run on third base with just one out. Ruben Castro bounced out to second and then Marty Costes drove a line drive toward the gap in right center that would have evened the score if it fell. However, Beck raced into the gap and made a diving, full-extension grab to end the game.
Armenteros and Beck each registered two hits for the Snappers. Schreiber was the lone River Bandits hitters with more than one as he finished 2-3. Castro came up with a base hit in each game to push his hitting streak to 10 games.
The River Bandits (26-21, 66-51) return home to host the Cedar Rapids Kernels (30-17, 62-54) on Saturday night at 6:35 p.m. The first 1,500 fans will receive a River Bandits backpack on Back to School Night.
All River Bandits games are broadcast on 1170 K-BOB and TuneIn Radio. Home games are also available with video on MiLB.TV.
