Q.C. Crushes Snakes Behind 20-Hit Performance

Appleton, Wisconsin – After being held to one run on just two hits last night, the Quad Cities River Bandits exploded for new season-highs in runs and hits as they hammered the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 17-5 to even up the series at Neuroscience Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Friday night.

The River Bandits jumped on T-Rats’ starter, Justin Bullock early as they stuck for three runs with two outs thanks to Michael Massey’s first RBI triple of the year and, one pitch later, Jake Means’ sixth homer of the year that put Quad Cities ahead 3-0 in the opening frame.

In the second, it was a trio of singles from Will Hancock, Jeison Guzman, and then Tucker Bradley who drove in a 4-0 lead for the visitors on the first pitch of his game’s second at bat.

Having not worked without the lead in his fourth start of the season, Noah Murdock had retired the first six men he faced prior to the third inning, but saw Hayden Cantrelle come through after back-to-back strikeouts to plate Carlos Rodriquez, who doubled to leadoff the inning, for Wisconsin’s first run of the game.

Bullock and Murdock both worked scoreless fourth innings, but while the former stranded a Vinnie Pasquantino double in the top of the fifth, it was Murdock who blinked first as an RBI groundout from David Hamilton cut the Bandits’ lead in half to 4-2.

After striking out Eric Cole to start the sixth, Jimmy Govern’s single, his first of three hits on the night, chased Bullock from the game after 5.1 innings. Arman Sabouri allowed a knock to Hancock, but struck out John Rave and Guzman to keep Quad Cities off the board for the fourth-straight inning.

Yohanse Morel was tasked with the bottom of the sixth for Chris Widger, as Murdock departed after his longest start of the season, and shutdown the heart of Wisconsin’s lineup in order.

With Sabouri still in the game to start the seventh, the River Bandits’ bats caught fire for six singles and five runs in the frame. Massey got the first on an RBI groundout, while Govern, Hancock, and then Guzman, against Brady Schanuel combined to drive in a 9-2 Quad Cities’ advantage.

In the top of the eighth, after Logan Porter, who pinch-hit for Pasquantino, and Jake Means sandwiched a Massey single with walks to start the frame, the Bandits reached double digits as Porter scored from third on a Schanuel wild pitch, before Hancock’s double, his fourth hit of the night, cleared the bases and made opened the rout 12-2.

Back-to-back strikeouts from Morel in the bottom eighth ended the righty’s night after a hold in 2.2 scoreless innings, before Mitch Ellis took over with two away. Korry Howell, the first man he faced, reached on an error and then scored on Thomas Dillard’s two-run homer that cut the T-Rats’ deficit to eight.

However, in the top of the ninth, the River Bandits posted their second five-run frame of the game and got RBI doubles from Massey and Cole along with a run-scoring single by Govern, a sac-fly from Hancock, and a wild pitch from John LaRossa that plated Porter.

Nick Kahle, a position player, recorded the final two outs against Quad Cities on a pair of groundouts.

Up 17-4, Ellis struggled in the bottom of the ninth, walked three, and gave up an RBI groundout to Kekai Rios, but it was far too late for the Timber Rattlers as the Australian-born right-hander was able to strikeout Cantrelle to end the contest.

When the dust settled, it was Murdock (1-1) who earned his first win of the year for the River Bandits, while Bullock (4-2) gave up four runs in his second loss of the year.

Quad Cities will look to become the first team to win back-to-back games in the series on Saturday as Charlie Neuweiler (0-0, 0.00) will make his River Bandits’ debut against Zach Mort (1-4, 6.86) at 7:05 p.m. CDT at Neuroscience Field at Fox Cities Stadium.