Bosacker, Nivens Lead Bandits to Fourth-Straight Win

Davenport, Iowa – Ethan Bosacker posted his fourth-straight quality start and Spencer Nivens launched his minor league-leading 11th home run of the month as Quad Cities defeated the Lansing Lugnuts 6-1 on Thursday night at Modern Woodmen Park.

Entering the contest as the reigning Midwest League Pitcher of the Week, Bosacker needed just one strikeout and 65 pitches to complete a 6.0-inning performance. After retiring the first eight batters he faced, the right-hander allowed back-to-back two-out baserunners in the third before surrendering a go-ahead RBI-single to Jared Dickey—his former River Bandits teammate.

Bosacker’s current right-fielder, Nivens, quickly came to his aid in the fourth, snapping a string of nine-straight retired by Lansing starter Luis Morales with a 395-foot solo blast to right-field, the outfielder’s seventh in seven games and his High-A-best 14th of the second half.

After Nivens tied the game 1-1, Jac Caglianone, Trevor Werner, and Carson Roccaforte all followed with consecutive singles. The latter gave Quad Cities a one-run lead which they would immediately double to 3-1, with a run scoring on Shervyen Newton’s double play ball..

Justin Johnson tacked on another against Morales with an RBI-single in the fifth, but the 4-1 advantage was plenty for Bosacker. The former 13th-round pick sat down the final 10 batters he faced to close out his night, including Jonny Butler who had a home run robbed by Nivens in right-field in the sixth.

A bases loaded walk by Deivis Nadal and a sacrifice-fly from Johnson in the eighth pushed the Bandits’ lead to 6-1, while Ben Hernandez (2.0 IP, hold) and Ben Sears (1.0 IP, 2 SO) combined for three scoreless, hitless innings out of Quad Cities’ bullpen to secure the victory.

Bosacker (6-1) earned his team-best sixth straight win for the River Bandits, while Morales (2-3) was saddled with the loss and allowed four runs for the third-straight start.

Quad Cities continues its six-game series with Lansing and tomorrow night and sends Frank Mozzicato (5-10, 3.46) to the mound against Grant Judkins (3-5, 3.15). First pitch at Modern Woodmen Park is set for 6:30 p.m.