Three-Run Ninth Nets Bandits’ Comeback Victory

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – For the second time in as many games, the Quad Cities River Bandits picked up a come-from-behind victory as they topped the division-leading Cedar Rapids Kernels in game one of their six-game set on Tuesday at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The contest started out as a duel between starting pitchers, as Quad Cities’ Noah Murdock and Cedar Rapids’ Cody Laweryson who matched each other zero for zero over the first four scoreless innings.

Making just his second start of the season, the Kernels’ righty allowed just a pair of hits with four strikeouts over his 4.0 innings of work before manager Brian Dinkelman turned to a reliever,

Murdock worked into the fifth for the Bandits, but was the one to blink, surrendering back-to-back hits to Jair Camargo and Wander Javier in the frame, with the latter plating the former via RBI double to break the scoreless tie. Two batters later, Cedar Rapids made it a 2-0 game on another two-bagger, this one from Willie Joe Garry Jr. which scored Javier.

The right-hander closed out his fifth and longest start of the year on the hook for the two runs and with three strikeouts before giving way to the bullpen.

Christian Chamberlain firmly held the Q.C. deficit at two, stranding a pair of walks in the sixth and collecting all six of his outs via strikeout—including five in-a-row to finish the seventh.

Quad Cities’ offense however was also held in check, as they failed to record a hit against Bobby Milacki in the fifth and sixth and mustered just one against Melvi Acosta in the seventh and eighth, never bringing more than four men to the plate in any inning.

After Yohanse Morel tossed a scoreless bottom of the eighth, the Bandits started the ninth with their first pair of consecutive base runners thanks to walks of Tyler Tolbert and Peyton Wilson from Derek Molina, who issued both free passes before being pulled having not recorded an out.

Denny Bentley took over for the Kernels with the tying runs aboard and, as both runners took off for a double-steal, allowed Tolbert to score on Tyler Gentry’s double to left to end the shutout. One batter later, Herard Gonzalez blooped a ball into center field to plate Wilson and Gentry to give Quad Cities its first lead of the night.

Morel came back out to seal the win in the bottom of the ninth and retired the middle of the Kernels’ order one-two-three including a pair of strikeouts to complete the comeback.

With two scoreless innings and three strikeouts, Morel (2-0) got the win out of the bullpen for Quad Cities, while Bentley (1-1) took the loss and the blown save, both his first of the year.

The Bandits will look to make it three-straight wins on Wednesday, as Tyson Guerrero (0-2, 6.60) gets the ball for Brooks Conrad and Brent Headrick (2-1, 2.55) toes the rubber for Cedar Rapids. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium.