Barnett Shines, But Bandits’ Rally Falls Short
Davenport, Iowa – The Quad Cities River Bandits put the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the ninth, but failed to convert, as they fell to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3-2 at Modern Woodmen Park. Quad Cities found itself in another pitcher’s duel on Thursday, with
Davenport, Iowa – The Quad Cities River Bandits put the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the ninth, but failed to convert, as they fell to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3-2 at Modern Woodmen Park.
Quad Cities found itself in another pitcher’s duel on Thursday, with starter Mason Barnett going to toe-to-toe with Wisconsin’s Stiven Cruz. Barnett’s lone blemish came in the third, when Ernesto Martinez Jr. drove in the opening run with an RBI single, but the former third-round pick retired 13 of the next 14 batters he faced to close out a career-high 7.0-inning performance.
Cruz also set a career-high, striking out eight River Bandits across 5.0-shutout innings, before Alexander Cornielle kept Quad Cities off the board in the sixth and seventh.
Eric Brown Jr. made it a 3-0 Rattlers lead in the eighth, taking Cruz Noriega deep for a two-run homer, however, Quad Cities responded with their first run of the game against Brannon Jordan in the bottom half, as Gavin Cross plated a run on a fielder’s choice to cut Quad Cities’ deficit to two.
Noriega kept it a 3-1 game by stranding a one-out walk in the top of the ninth to complete his 2.1-inning night out of the bullpen.
Jordan would return to the hill for Wisconsin for the bottom of the ninth, but was pulled after allowing Carter Jensen’s leadoff triple to score on Juan Carlos Negret’s subsequent RBI single. Tanner Shears took over and hit River Town with a pitch to move the tying run to second and the winning run to first.
The next hitter, Kale Emshoff, put down a bunt, attempting to move both runners into scoring position, but Martinez threw out Negret at third for the first out, before Shears slammed the door, getting Shervyen Newton to bounce into a game-ending double play one batter later.
Cruz (3-5) earned the win for the Timber Rattlers, while Barnett (2-4) struck out four and allowed one run in a losing effort for the second time in as many games. Shears (1) picked up his first-career save with a clean full frame in the ninth.
Still in search of their first win in the second half, Quad Cities will send Adrian Alcantara (0-3, 4.58) to the mound on Friday against Wisconsin’s Tyler Woessner (5-3, 2.70). First pitch at Modern Woodmen Park is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.