Loons Score Thirteen Unanswered to Upset Quad Cities

The Great Lakes Loons started the second series of their longest road trip in Davenport, Iowa Tuesday night. It marks their first visit to the Quad Cities River Bandits since 2017. The Loons were coming off their first series loss since the month of May.

Quad Cities (31-51) scored six in the second to take a 7-1 lead. Great Lakes (50-32) scored three in the third to answer, and then nine in the fifth to take a 13-7 lead. Jose Ramos hit a two-run home run and a grand slam in the inning.

The Loons, High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, tied their season high for most runs scored in a single inning with the nine-spot in the fifth. Ramos tallied six RBI and eight total bases in the inning. Jorbit Vivas also had a two-run home run in the third. The duo drove in ten of the fourteen Loons runs.

Great Lakes got on the board first with back-to-back two out doubles by Diego Cartaya and Alex De Jesus in the first inning. The River Bandits, High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, tied the game with a run in their half of the first with two outs. Quad Cities took their first lead in the second when they exploded for six runs against Loons starter Robbie Peto (5-0) and reliever Julian Smith.

Great Lakes tallied three in the third including the Vivas long ball cutting the lead to 7-4. River Bandits starter Charlie Neuweiler (6-5) allowed four runs, only three earned, in four innings. Kendall Williams (W, 2-3) took the mound in the fourth and gave Great Lakes some pitching stability.

The defense turned into offense for Great Lakes when Harrison Beethe replaced Neuweiler and allowed six runs on two hits and a walk without recording an out. De Jesus was hit by a pitch to start the inning and scored on the two-run home run by Ramos. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Ismael Alcantara who drove in a run on a hit-by-pitch that tied the game at 7-7. Eddys Leonard drove in one more with an RBI single for the 8-7 lead. Another run scored on a Vivas sacrifice fly before the bases were loaded for Ramos. He crushed another home run, this one a grand slam, to extend the Loons lead to 13-7

Williams would finish with two scoreless innings pitches and three strikeouts. Jake Cantleberry struck out two in his one inning of work. Cole Percival pitched two clean innings and struck out two as well.

Ramos tallied his seventh RBI of the game in the ninth with a double that scored Cartaya. Ramos finished 3-for-5 with ten total bases, seven RBI, and three runs scored.

The River Bandits did not go quietly in the ninth. A two-RBI double by Herald Gonzalez brought Quad Cities within five, but that would be all. Adam Scoggins shut the door striking out Juan Carlos Negret to end the game.

Every Loon in the lineup tallied a hit while Leonard, Cartaya, De Jesus, and Ramos had multi-hit days. The combination of Williams, Cantleberry, and Percival pitched five scoreless innings in a row which helped Great Lakes complete the comeback victory.

Great Lakes and Quad Cities do it again Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. EST. Right-hander Ben Casparius (0-0) takes the mound for the Loons while the River Bandits send out William Fleming (0-1). The Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland, starts at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN 100.9 FM.

The Great Lakes Loons have been a Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team’s inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team’s home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and ESPN 100.9-FM. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.