Bandits Leave Tying, Go-Ahead Runners Aboard in Saturday Loss

Peoria, Illinois – For the second night in-a-row, Quad Cities’ late inning rally fell short, as they dropped their seventh series of the season with a 5-3 loss to the Peoria Chiefs on Saturday night at Dozer Park.

For the third time in the series, the Chiefs opened the offense in the first inning, as Mike Antico and Tyler Reichenborn both reached against Adrian Alcantara to open the frame, before Todd Lott brought in a run on a double play.

In the second, Carlos Soto left the yard with a solo shot to make it a 2-0 contest.

Zane Mills kept the Bandits off the board for the first three innings before allowing a fourth-inning two-out triple to Herard Gonzalez, who ended up scoring after Francisco Hernandez’s relay throw flew past Noah Medlinger at third.

Peoria didn’t wait long to strike back though, as Antico left the yard with a two-run homer for his third in the last three ballgames.

The fifth would be the final inning for Alcantara, who gave up four earned on six hits and one walk while striking out five.

In the sixth, the Bandits needed just two pitches to make it a 4-2 game with Diego Hernandez banging a leadoff triple off the right-center wall, just to come around to score on Luca Tresh’s sacrifice-fly on Mills’ second pitch of the inning.

The right-hander’s day would end after a season-high 6.0 innings where the former Washington State product allowed just two runs, one earned, on five hits, one walk, and one strikeout.

While Nick Trogrlic-Iverson kept Quad Cities out of the run column in the seventh and eighth, the Chiefs insured their lead with run-scoring groundout from Thomas Francisco against Caden Monke to make it 5-2 after eight.

Peoria brought Leonardo Tavares in for the save in the ninth, but the Bandits forced him from the game five batters in after loading the bases with one out and walking in a Q.C. run on Parker Bates’ walk.

However, Andre Granillo finished the job, striking out Burle Dixon and getting Tyler Tolbert to flyout to end the game, secure his second save of the season, and hand the Bandits a series loss.

Both starters factored into the decision with Mills (1-3) getting the win for Peoria and Alcantara (2-4) taking the loss for Quad Cities.

The Bandits will conclude the six-game set at Dozer Park with a 1:35pm series finale tomorrow in a rematch of game one’s starters as Charlie Neuweiler (2-5, 6.57) will go for Quad Cities against the Chief’s Wilfredo Pereira (3-1, 3.73).