Bandits Break MiLB Record, Fall to Bees

The Quad Cities River Bandits set a new Minor League Baseball record for strikeouts in a season by totaling 16 on Sunday afternoon at Community Field in Burlington. However, the pitching staff also walked nine hitters and the Burlington Bees took home a 4-2 victory in game three of the series. The Bandits finished the game with 1,429 strikeouts on the campaign, breaking the previous record of 1,421 set by the Durham Bulls last season.
Burlington took advantage of a wild Bryan Abreu to take a 2-0 lead in the second inning. After Abreu went to a three-ball count to all five hitters he faced in a scoreless first inning, the Bees cashed in. Julio Garcia banged a double off of the left field wall to open the frame and scored on another double from Cam Williams. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases with two outs and a wild pitch allowed the second run to score.
The Bees added to their advantage in the third against reliever Carlos Hiraldo. Spencer Griffin worked a walk to start the frame and then went to second base on a single by Tim Millard. A free pass to Harrison Wenson loaded the bases and Alvaro Rubalcaba took advantage with an infield single to the right side that beat the Bandits shift and opened a 3-0 lead.

The River Bandits tallied for the first time in the top of the fourth, but missed an opportunity for more. Alex McKenna opened the inning with a single and promptly raced home when Scott Schreiber drove a triple off of the right field wall. Schreiber was on third with no outs, but was stranded there when the inning closed.
Burlington loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth with an error, walk and infield single. Hiraldo then walked Leo Rivas to force in another run and give the Bees a three-run lead once again at 4-1.
In the Bandits sixth, Jonathan Lacroix opened the frame by bouncing a triple into the right field corner. Ed Del Rosario walked the next two hitters to load the bases with no outs. Alfredo Angarita grounded a single through the right side to score Lacroix and close the gap to 4-2, but Schreiber missed the stop sign applied to McKenna at third and was tagged out in a rundown for the first out. A pop up and a groundout ended the inning with men still on the corners. That would turn out to be the final scoring chance for both teams.
Abreu had his toughest outing with the Bandits, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks over 2.0 innings. He collected five strikeouts while being dealt the loss. Hiraldo also allowed two runs in 3.0 innings out of the bullpen. He issued four walks and recorded three strikeouts. The final 3.0 innings were worked in a scoreless manner by Tim Hardy, who struck out eight of the 11 hitters he faced.
The Bandits and Bees finished even in the hit column with six apiece. Tim Millard led the way with two hits for Burlington while Lacroix and Schreiber had a pair for Quad Cities. Lacroix has recorded multiple hits in seven of his last eight games.
The River Bandits (35-28, 75-58) and Bees (20-38, 50-77) meet for the final time this season on Monday night at 6:30 p.m. The River Bandits will call on RHP Luis Garcia (6-2, 2.79) in the series finale with RHP Austin Krzeminski (5-5, 1.90) opposing from the Bees.
All River Bandits games are broadcast on 1170 K-BOB and TuneIn Radio. Home games are also available with video on MiLB.TV.