Emshoff’s Four-RBI Night Not Enough in Bandits’ Loss to T-Rats

Davenport, Iowa – Kale Emshoff helped lead the Quad Cities River Bandits’ offense with a four-RBI game on Wednesday night, but the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers’ 17 hits proved to be too much, as the Bandits fell 8-6 at Modern Woodmen Park.

After being shutout in the series opener, the Bandits offense struck from a run in the bottom of the first on a bases loaded infield hit by Emshoff, but it came after Zavier Warren’s RBI double and a Jose Acosta sacrifice-fly put Wisconsin in front in the top of the opening frame.

Quad Cities’ starter Chandler Champlain rebounded for a scoreless second inning, striking out the side in the process, but was unable to work out of the third, allowing a two-run home run to Warren and then a run on a passed ball, which pushed the Rattlers’ lead to 5-1.

In the fourth, Warren struck again for Wisconsin with the infielder launching a second two-run blast, this time off of Emilio Marquez, who allowed a third run in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Antonio Pinero.

Despite scoring a first-inning run against him, the Bandits’ bats were held off the scoreboard by Israel Puello until the bottom of the fifth, when Emshoff highlighted a two-out rally with a two-run single to right, helping force the Wisconsin starter from the game after a 4.2-inning performance.

Quad Cities cut their deficit to just two, 8-6, with a three-run surge in the sixth, riding an RBI single from Herard Gonzalez, a run-scoring ground out from Emshoff—his game’s fourth RBI—and a wild pitch out of the hand of Taylor Floyd. However, those would be the final tallies for the Bandits, who bounced into a pair of double plays over the final three scoreless innings.

After 2.1 innings from Marquez, Harrison Beethe, Zack Phillips, and Anderson Paulino all worked scoreless performances out of the Bandits’ bullpen.

Wisconsin closer James Meeker earned a save, his seventh of the year, working around a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth.

Floyd (2-2) earned the win for the Timber Rattlers, tossing 2.2 scoreless with three strikeouts, while Champlain (0-1) took the loss allowing five runs, all earned, in his 2.2-inning performance—his first in a starting capacity as a Bandit.

Quad Cities will look to claim its first win of the series on Wednesday, as Adrian Alcantara (4-5, 5.15) gets the start for Brooks Conrad against Wisconsin’s Justin Jarvis (8-6). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30pm.