River Bandits Ride Out Loons Comeback Attempt, Win 7-6 in 10 Innings

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (34-30) and Quad Cities River Bandits (28-35) first matchup of 2024 went 10 innings, with the River Bandits getting three hits in the tenth to grab a 7-6 win on a sweltering 88-degree partly cloudy Tuesday afternoon at Dow Diamond.

Great Lakes pitching racked up 12 strikeouts but also walked 10. Jackson Ferris set the tone with five dominant no-hit innings adding eight strikeouts. The left-hander was given a sixth, where Quad Cities tacked on four. A leadoff walk set up leadoff hitter Jack Pineda who gave the River Bandits their first hit and first two runs with an opposite-field blast.

Brandon Neeck inherited two runners off a single and a walk. He earned a second out on a groundout, but a two-run single by Carson Roccaforte made it 4-3. Every run was on Ferris’ line. The left-hander tied a season-best in finishing 5.1 innings.

The Loons tallied the first three runs of the game, all in the fourth. Jordan Thompson singled, followed by Yunior Garcia leaving the yard. A launch to left field gave Garcia his fifth homer of the season. With two outs, Jake Vogel reached on a five-pitch walk. He stole second to set up Noah Miller, who lined one up the middle 103 off the bat to make it 3-0.

Vogel, his next time around, tied up the game at 4-4 in the sixth. Garcia scored after reaching on an error off a single to left field.

The game was knotted up at four through the rest of regulation. In the top of the tenth, Quad Cities rallied off three straight singles with one out, the third a two-run knock by Dustin Dickerson. Jack Pineda lifted one to right field to score a third tally.

The Loons needing three in the bottom of the tenth, got the potential tying runner to reach first. Dylan Campbell walked, a groundout pushed two in scoring position for Chris Newell. The league leader in RBI tacked on two more with a single up the middle. The next two batters flew out, with Cayden Wallace closing the door for the River Bandits.

Rounding Things Out

Yunior Garcia has homered twice in seven career games against Quad Cities. His first was on May 4th, 2023.

Up Next

The Loons and River Bandits play the next four at 7:05 pm, beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, June 19th. It is a Paws N Claws Wednesday with all dogs invited and half-off White Claws.

The Great Lakes Loons have been 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 Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.