Hot Rods Come From Behind to Best Bandits

The Quad Cities River Bandits played their fourth consecutive game that was decided by one run on Saturday night at Bowling Green Ballpark. For the second straight night, it did not play out in their favor as the Bowling Green Hot Rods came from behind to win 4-3 in the opening game of a series between first half champions.
The River Bandits came out of the gates quickly to take the lead. Alfredo Angarita reached base with a leadoff single and then raced from first to third on another single by Seth Beer. With one out, Colton Shaver lined a base hit into right field to put the Bandits in front 1-0.
The bats came out again in the second inning as the Bandits extended the lead with four hits. Chandler Taylor led off with an infield single. After a strikeout by Logan Mattix, Taylor was caught stealing and the bases were emptied. Jonathan Lacroix worked a walk and then was joined on base by Angarita who beat out an infield single. Miguelangel Sierra lined an RBI single into right field to score Lacroix and make it 2-0. Beer followed with a double that one-hopped the wall in right field to open up a 3-0 cushion.

Bowling Green broke through and pulled within one in the bottom of the fifth inning. Leovanny Rodriguez hit nine-hitter Carl Chester with a pitch with one out in the frame. Vidal Brujan drove in the Hot Rods first run with a double down the right field line. He would also come round to score on an RBI double off the bat of Taylor Walls to make it 3-2.
The River Bandits got a leadoff triple from Lacroix in the seventh, but could not score. In the bottom half, Chester ripped a double to start the frame and went to third on a wild pitch. Two consecutive hitters lined out to an infielder, but Walls snuck a groundball through the middle with two outs to score Chester and tie the game.
In the bottom of the eighth, Ronaldo Hernandez reached on an error by Angarita at third. He moved to second on a single from Trey Hair and then advanced to third on another single from Devin Davis. Eleardo Cabrera followed with a sacrifice fly to center field that plated the winning run.
The River Bandits finished with ten hits. Angarita, Beer and Taylor each had two. Walls was 2-4 with two RBI for the Hot Rods.
Rodriguez tossed a season-high 7.1 innings despite taking the loss. The right-hander surrendered four runs, three earned, on ten hits. He struck out four. Brendan Feldmann worked 0.2 innings, allowing a single and the sacrifice fly.
The River Bandits (11-11, 51-41) resume their series with the Bowling Green Hot Rods (16-7, 62-30) on Sunday afternoon at Bowling Green Ballpark with a 2:05 p.m. first pitch. Quad Cities will call on RHP Jairo Solis (0-3, 3.00) in a match-up with Hot Rods RHP Austin Franklin (6-4, 3.39).
All River Bandits games are broadcast on 1170 K-BOB and TuneIn Radio. Home games are also available with video on MiLB.TV.