Pelzer’s Four-Hit, Five-RBI Explosion Helps Bandits Split Twin Bill

Davenport, Iowa – River Bandits’ outfielder Luke Pelzer struck for a four-hit, five-RBI performance in game one of Quad Cities (24-29) doubleheader with the South Bend Cubs (33-19), as the River Bandits split Friday’s twin bill in front of a season-high crowd of 4,242, taking game one 13-8 and dropping game two 4-3 at Modern Woodmen Park.

The River Bandits’ first inning of the night was an offensive onslaught and featured RBI-singles from Blake Mitchell, Derlin Figueroa and Tyriq Kemp, plus an RBI-double from Pelzer, which helped give Quad Cities a 4-0 lead in the opening frame.

Kemp then flashed on the field, securing Quad Cities’ starter David Shields’ perfect second inning with a diving catch on a line drive shot towards left field off the bat of Drew Bowser.

Cubs’ starting pitcher Jostin Florentino completed only the first inning before Brayden Spears took over for the second, but the River Bandits momentum continued.

RBI-singles in the second inning from Asbel Gonzalez, Kemp, and Pelzer helped extend the River Bandits’ lead to 9-0, with the team totaling 11 hits after two frames.

South Bend responded in the third though, as a four-hit, eight-run explosion—the most allowed in a single inning by the River Bandits this season—included four Cubs hits, three hit batsmen, and two Quad Cities errors to bring the Cubs within one, 9-8.

Shields faced the first 10 South Bend hitters of the inning, but gave way to reliever Max Martin after a 2.2-inning start. The Royals’ No. 4 prospect wound up on the hook for eight runs, four earned, on three hits, two walks, and two hit batsmen.

In the bottom of the third, River Bandits’ manager Jesus Azuaje, was ejected by field umpire Xander Huddleston for arguing a caught stealing, marking the second time Quad Cities’ skipper has been run this season.

After Martin completed a scoreless fourth and fifth, the Bandits got back into the run column against South Bend reliever Ethan Bell. Angel Acosta scored on a wild pitch to extend his club’s lead to two, but it was Pelzer’s fourth hit of the game, a three-run double, that pushed Quad Cities ahead 13-8.

Pelzer finished game 4-for-4 with three doubles and a career-best five RBI.

Yimi Presinal closed out the contest on the mound for Quad Cities, firing a perfect sixth and seventh inning to secure Quad Cities’ win and, with Thursday’s River Bandits victroy, South Bends’s first set of back-to-back losses since May 10.

Max Martin (2-0) earned the winning decision for Quad Cities, completing 2.1-scoreless innings of relief, while Cubs’ starter Florentino (0-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits over one inning.

Making up for a game lost in South Bend on Opening Weekend, the River Bandits played as the visiting team in the night cap, but once again opened the scoring.

Erick Torres brought in the first run of the game off Cubs’ starting pitcher Mason McGwire, plating Pelzer with an RBI-single. One batter later, Acosta put down a bunt and scored Figueroa on a safety squeeze, putting Quad Cities ahead 2-0.

The Cubs struck back quickly, jumping out to a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second thanks to a two-run shot from Miguel Useche and an RBI-double from Drew Bowser.

After tossing a perfect first inning and matching his season-high with three strikeouts, Quad Cities’ starting pitcher Corey Ronan recorded just two outs in the second before he was replaced by Coleman Picard. The right-hander struck out Ty Southisene to end the Cubs’ second-inning rally, stranding runners at second and third.

Despite not recording a hit in the frame, the Bandits knotted the game 3-3 in the third. Blake Mitchell drew a walk to reach and then moved to second and third on a pair of South Bend errors. Later in the inning, a passed ball on Useche allowed the Royals’ top prospect to score from third.

McGwire matched Picard’s scoreless fourth inning with a zero of his own before South Bend retook the lead against Quad Cities’ right-hander Josh Hansell in the fifth, pushing ahead 4-3 on a Southisene RBI-single.

Hansell bounced back with a perfect sixth inning to keep Quad Cities within a run, but despite Jose Cerice reaching via hit by a pitch to begin the seventh, the River Bandits were unable to capitalize against Cubs’ reliever Kenyi Perez, who followed a scoreless sixth with a scoreless seventh en route to his third save of the season and his second of the series.

McGwire (1-0) earned the win in his first High-A start, striking out four over 5.0 innings, while Hansell (1-5) took the loss for the River Bandits, allowing the game-deciding run during a 2.0-frame showing.

Quad Cities returns to Modern Woodmen Park tomorrow night for game six of the seven-game series against the South Bend Cubs and sends Blake Wolters (0-4, 10.43) to the mound against Will Sanders (0-0, 2.45). First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.