Bandits Out-Slug Rattlers for Back-to-Back Wins

Appleton, Wisconsin – After 20 hits in their win last night, the Quad Cities River Bandits kept the offense rolling on Saturday, as they topped the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 11-9 for their third win of the series at Neuroscience Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

The River Bandits had no problems against Wisconsin starter, Zach Mort who gave up back-to-back doubles to Tucker Bradley and Michael Massey with the latter scoring the former on his knock for a 1-0 Bandits’ advantage.

One inning later, another Quad Cities’ double, this time from Jeison Guzman, brought in John Rave to make it 2-0. But the T-Rats were able to respond against River Bandits’ starter, Charlie Neuweiler who in his Q.C. debut, allowed a run on Chad McClanahan’s sac-fly to make it 3-1 in the bottom of the second.

In the top of the third, Michael Massey put the visitors on the board against Mort for the third-straight frame on his ninth homer of the season, a solo shot, before Logan Porter got in on the action with an RBI single to plate Eric Cole and a 5-1 Bandits’ advantage.

Working with a four-run lead, Neuweiler struck out the side in the third before also dealing a one-two-three fourth, however, after issuing a one-out walk to McClanahan and hitting Nick Kahle with a pitch in the fifth, David Hamilton chased the righty from the game with a two-run triple to bring Wisconsin within two.

After striking out Hayden Cantrelle for the second out of the fifth, Garrett Davila issued back-to-back walks to Korry Howell and Thomas Dillard who would eventually come around on Joe Gray Jr.’s game tying double, making it 5-5 heading into the sixth.

Despite being held off the board by the combo of Mort and Cristian Sierra in the fourth and fifth, Quad Cities’ bats again came to life in the sixth as a pair of one-out walks to Guzman and Bradley set the table for Massey’s third RBI hit of the game that drove in Guzman and a Bandits’ 6-5 lead.

One batter later, after Nash Walters replaced Sierra, Jake Means whacked a three-run shot, his second homer in as many games, and again put Quad Cities up by four with a 9-5 score.

The Bandits got their fifth and sixth unanswered runs in the top of the seventh, again against Walters, who saw John Rave and Guzman plated on Bradley’s second double of the game. However, the Timber Rattlers ended up winning the frame on Cantrelle’s solo home run, which drove Davila out of the game, a run-scoring single from Je’Von Ward off of Peyton Gray, and then wild pitch that allowed Gray Jr. to scamper home to cut the Wisconsin deficit to 11-8.

In the eighth, both Walters and Gray would work just the second scoreless inning of the game and combine for four strikeouts as Gray stranded a Howell double in the bottom half.

Taylor Floyd issued a leadoff walk to Gavin Stupienski in the top of the ninth, but was able to dance it and allow his team a shot down three in the bottom half. Although Jonah Dipoto walked two men to start the inning and an RBI groundout to McClanahan, the righthander would pick get Kahle to bounce out to secure his seventh save of the season in an 11-9 Quad Cities win.

Despite allowing four runs in 1.2 innings of relief, Davila (3-2) earned the win for the River Bandits, while Sierra (1-2), who also worked 1.2 innings, took the loss thanks to three earned.

In his Quad Cities debut, Neiweiler worked into the fifth (4.1 IP) and gave up four earned on four hits, one walk, and three strikeouts, while his counterpart, Mort, lasted 4.0 innings and was left responsible for five earned on nine hits, no walks, and three strikeouts.

With a chance to win their league-leading eighth series of the year tomorrow, the River Bandits will turn to Christian Cosby (1-1, 5.06) for his first start of the season, while Wisconsin will call upon Freisis Adames (2-1, 6.55) for the series finale. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. CDT at Neuroscience Field at Fox Cities Stadium.