Bandits’ Bullpen Dazzles; Quad Cities Drops Fourth Consecutive Game

Davenport, Iowa – Quad Cities relievers allowed just one base runner over 4.0-scoreless innings Wednesday, but Quad Cities’ late-inning rally fell short, as the River Bandits dropped their fourth game in-a-row and their second-straight to the South Bend Cubs 4-3 at Modern Woodmen Park.

For the second time in as many nights, South Bend opened the scoring in the first inning and brought all nine hitters to the plate against Quad Cities’ starter Aiden Jimenez. Alex Madera gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead, plating Kane Kepley with an RBI-single.

Shortly after, with the bases loaded, Jose Escobar lined a ball to center field, allowing two more to score and extending South Bend’s lead, 3-0. The visitor’s fourth and final run of the inning came courtesy of Matt Halbach, who scored from third on a Drew Bowser groundout.

After the opening inning, Jimenez faced the minimum for the final four frames of his night with help from nine ground-ball outs.

Blake Mitchell blasted the River Bandits onto the board in the fourth inning with his 10th home run of the season, a solo shot to center off Cubs’ starter Kevin Valdez that trimmed Quad Cities’ deficit to 4-1.

After Valdez’s departure, Nolan Sailors and Asbel Gonzalez drew back-to-back walks to open the sixth inning against JP Wheat, but the South Bend reliever stranded both in scoring position to keep the Cubs’ lead intact.

River Bandits’ left-hander Mason Miller took over for Jimenez and completed Quad Cities’ fourth and fifth perfect innings on the hill, pushing the game to the bottom of the seventh.

Wheat picked up the first two outs of the inning, but walked Tyriq Kemp and Diego Guzman to extend the frame and force his exit, as Eli Jerzembeck entered to face Sailors.

Quad Cities’ right fielder poked an RBI-single through the left side of the infield before Gonzalez made it a one-run contest with a run-scoring hit up the middle.

With the River Bandits trailing 4-3, Nick Conte stepped onto the mound for Quad Cities and continued the bullpen’s scoreless effort with a clean eighth, including a strikeout of Halbach.

Yimi Presinal then took the mound for Quad Cities in the top of the ninth and retired all three men he faced to send the Bandits back to the plate.

Cubs’ right-hander Grayson Moore issued a one-out walk to Kemp—who reached safely in all four plate appearances—to put the game-tying run on base but stamped out the River Bandits’ ninth-inning effort with back-to-back game-ending strikeouts.

Valdez (3-0) earned the win for the Cubs with his 5.0-inning, five-strikeout performance, while Jimenez (1-3) took the loss for the River Bandits, allowing all four Cubs runs over a 5.0-inning start of his own.

Quad Cities returns to Modern Woodmen Park for game three of the seven-game series tomorrow night and sends Emmanuel Reyes (4-2) to the mound opposite South Bend’s Cole Reynolds (2-1). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.