Bandits’ Late Run Falls Short in Loss to Kernels
Davenport, Iowa – The Quad Cities River Bandits closed out Tuesday night’s game with five unanswered runs, but fell to Cedar Rapids Kernels 9-8 at Modern Woodmen Park. Both lineups stuck early and often, with Cedar Rapids tagging Bandits’ starter Frank Mozzicato for three first-inning tallies on RBI hits from
Davenport, Iowa – The Quad Cities River Bandits closed out Tuesday night’s game with five unanswered runs, but fell to Cedar Rapids Kernels 9-8 at Modern Woodmen Park.
Both lineups stuck early and often, with Cedar Rapids tagging Bandits’ starter Frank Mozzicato for three first-inning tallies on RBI hits from Kevin Maitan (double) and Rubel Cespedes (single), plus a sacrifice-fly off the bat of Jay Harry. The Bandits then responded with two outs in the bottom half of the opening frame, immediately cutting their deficit to 3-2 on Spencer Nivens’ two-run single.
Mozzicato and Kernels’ starter Ty Langenberg faced a combined 10 base runners during the second and third innings, but both posted zeros, before Cedar Rapids broke back into the run column in the fourth on RBI-doubles from Rayne Doncon and Maitan. The second knocked Mozzicato from the game after a season-low 3.2-inning performance.
While Jared Dickey’s solo shot—his third in the last five games—trimmed the Kernels’ lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the fourth, Rubel Cespedes struck for a three-run blast in the sixth off A.J. Block, pushing the visitors ahead by six.
Dustin Dickerson started Quad Cities on the comeback trail in the next half-inning, driving in a run against Rafael Marcano on a sacrifice-fly before Nivens struck for a solo home run, his fifth of the season, to get the Bandits on the board in the seventh.
As Chazz Martinez (2.0 IP) and Chase Wallace (1.1 IP) kept the Kernels scoreless and without a hit over the final three frames, Dickerson and Trevor Werner worked bases loaded walks in the eighth. The Bandits then came within one, scoring a run on a Gabriel Yanez wild pitch in the ninth, but the Kernels’ saves leader would strand the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position in the final inning.
Marcano (1-0) earned his first win of the season, allowing one run in 2.0-hittless innings of relief, while Mozzicato (5-7) was saddled with the loss, surrendering six runs (four earned) on six hits and a season-high matching five walks.
Yanez (8) took home a six-out save, stranding five Bandits batters on base over the final two innings.
Quad Cities continues its six-game series with Cedar Rapids on Wednesday night at Modern Woodmen Park and sends Hunter Owen (6-4, 3.74) to the mound opposite John Klein (6-2, 4.59). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.