Quad Cities Walked-Off in Series Finale

Appleton, Wisconsin – The Quad Cities River Bandits took a three-run lead into the final frame on Sunday, but succumbed to a ninth-inning rally in a 6-5 walk-off loss to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Fox Cities Stadium.

The contest began as a pitcher’s duel, with just one run scoring over the first seven innings of the game. Wisconsin took a 1-0 lead against Bandits’ starter Ryan Ramsey in the third on Dylan O’Rae’s RBI single, while Rattlers’ starter Brian Fitzpatrick silenced Quad Cities with a career-best six scoreless innings, including five strikeouts. Ramsey allowed seven Wisconsin base runners, but surrendered just the one run over his 5.0-inning day.

Quad Cities eventually broke into the run column in the eighth and tied the game on a Yerlin Rodriguez wild pitch, but the deadlock wouldn’t last long, as Tayden Hall put the Rattlers back in front with an RBI single in the bottom half against Chase Wallace. The right-hander had entered for the scheduled piggyback Shane Panzini, who was forced to depart after 1.2 innings due to injury.

With the Rattlers up 2-1, Bayden Root took over on the mound and looked to record the final three outs in the top of the ninth for Wisconsin, but instead allowed a game-tying RBI poke to Jean Ramirez. Dustin Dickerson and Trevor Werner then delivered RBI singles to help Quad Cities post the four-spot and take a 5-2 lead.

The resilient Ratters though would respond with a late-game rally of their own, recording five-straight base runners against Ben Sears, including game-tying RBI singles from O’Rae and Jesus Chirinos.

With Sears never recording an out and the score knotted at 5-5, Brooks Conrad turned to A.J. Block and intentionally walked Matt Wood to load the bases with no one out. Block got Hall to hit a fly ball to left, but it was deep enough to score O’Rae and complete the Rattlers’ walk-off win.

Sears (0-2) wound up on the hook for the loss with a blown save in Quad Cities’ defeat, while Root (1-1) also got tagged with a blown save, but earned the win for the Rattlers despite allowing the Bandits’ four-run innings.

Rodriguez also was charged with a blown save, giving up Wisconsin's 2-1 lead in the eighth.

Having lost each of their last six series, Quad Cities returns to Davenport to open a six-game set against the Beloit Sky Carp on Tuesday, June 11 for what is Quad Cities’ final homestand of the first half. First pitch at Modern Woodmen Park is set for 6:30 p.m.