Emshoff’s Big Night Leads Quad Cities in Split of Doubleheader

Davenport, Iowa – The Quad Cities River Bandits split their series-opening doubleheader with the Dayton Dragons on Wednesday, taking game one 5-2, but dropping game two 8-6 in an extra eighth inning at Modern Woodmen Park.

Kale Emshoff played in both halves of the twin-bill and finished the night a combined 6-for-6 with two home runs and six RBIs. His four-hit game two marks the River Bandits’ first of the season, while his pair of homers moves him into a tie for fifth on Quad Cities’ all-time home run list (26).

In game one, Emshoff contributed to all but one of Quad Cities’ five runs. After scoring on Dustin Dickerson’s go-ahead sacrifice fly in the second, the first baseman drove in Carter Jensen to break a 1-1 tie one inning later.

Trevor Werner’s solo home run would give the Bandits a 3-1 lead in the fourth, before Emshoff’s two-run shot made it 5-1 in the fifth.

Hunter Owen (4-1) posted his third quality start on the mound for Quad Cities, allowing just one run over 6.0 innings with six strikeouts. Ben Sears allowed an RBI single to Leo Balcazar in the top of the seventh, but the right-hander would record the final three outs of the game in relief of Owen.

Dayton jumped out to an early multi-run lead in game two against River Bandits’ starter Ben Kudrna, who allowed three unearned runs in the second inning thanks to a trio of Quad Cities errors. They would be the only runs allowed by the right-hander over his 5.0-inning start.

In the very next half inning, Emshoff would begin a five-frame rally with a solo shot to help Quad Cities score at least one run in every inning from the second to the sixth.

After Werner doubled home Jack Pineda in the third, the leadoff man would take matters into his own hands in the fourth and tie the game 3-3 on a sac-fly.

A bases loaded catcher’s interference call would put the Bandits ahead 4-3 in the fifth, before Emshoff extended the lead to 6-3 with a two-run double in the sixth.

Chazz Martinez (1) picked up his first hold of the season by keeping Quad Cities’ advantage intact during a scoreless sixth and handed the ball to Brandon Johnson for the seventh.

The right hander would allow an RBI double to Sal Stewart, which trimmed the Bandits’ lead to two, but then struck out Cam Collier for the second out. Johnson then worked Carlos Jorge into a full count to bring QC one strike away from their second-straight win, but the Dragon’s center fielder took the eighth pitch of the at bat over the wall for a game-tying two-run homer.

After Johnson completed the inning, Quad Cities went down in order against Luis Mey in the bottom of the seventh and watched Jay Allen II drive in a pair of runs against Chase Wallace in the top of the eighth to put Dayton in front 8-6.

Mey (1-1) returned to the mound for the Bandits’ half of the extra frame and earned his first win of the season by striking out the side one-two-three to solidify the 8-6 Dragons’ victory and a split of the doubleheader.

Wallace (0-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing two runs, one earned, while working the eighth inning.

Quad Cities returns to action at Modern Woodmen Park tomorrow night for game three of the six-game set and sends Steve Zobac (2-2, 2.91) to the hill opposite Dayton’s Javi Rivera (1-2, 7.83). First pitch at Modern Woodmen Park is set for 6:30 p.m.