Emshoff’s Two-Blast Night Leads Quad Cities in 13-4 Win

Davenport, Iowa – Two home runs off the bat of Kale Emshoff helped the Quad Cities River Bandits post the club’s best offensive outing of the season, as they beat the South Bend Cubs 13-4 on Saturday night at Modern Woodmen Park.

Having allowed the Cubs to score in the first inning of each of the series’ three previous games, Carson Roccaforte paired up with Emshoff to help Quad Cities land an opening-inning punch against South Bend starter Aaron Perry. After Jack Pineda walked on four pitches to start the night, Roccaforte drove him in with an RBI double, before Emshoff plated the center fielder with the first of his night’s four hits.

Staked to an early 2-0 lead, Quad Cities’ starter Henry Williams retired each of the first eight batters he faced and saw Justin Johnson help his cause further by doubling in Dustin Dickerson for a 3-0 lead in the second.

Perry settled down the Bandits’ bats for a scoreless third, but Emshoff led off the fourth with a solo home run. Quad Cities then used four stolen bases, three singles, a walk, and a sacrifice fly to complete the four-run frame. Johnson recorded the RBI single and later scored on an error, while Pineda plated Spencer Nivens with the sac-fly.

As Williams continued to silence South Bend, Dustin Dickerson picked up his first hit of the night against the newly entered Hunter Bigge and scored Jared Dickey on an RBI single in the fifth. Williams then collected his sixth and final strikeout in a scoreless top of the sixth and departed with his team ahead 8-0.

Quad Cities’ bats were not done however, as the trio of Carter Jensen, Brett Squires, and Emshoff tagged reliever Luis Devers for a five-spot in the home half of the frame. Both Jensen and Squires snapped hitless nights with RBI singles, while Emshoff whacked an opposite field two-run homer.

The blast put the Bandits ahead 13-0, gave Emshoff his second-career five-RBI night, and marked the designated hitter’s 29th homer as a River Bandit—tying Tom Alfredson for the third-most in Quad Cities franchise history.

Natanael Garabitos kept the Bandits’ shutout bid intact, tossing a scoreless seventh and extending his streak of frames without having an earned run to 9.1, but South Bend got an RBI-double from Rafael Morel and late home runs from Pedro Ramirez and Dilan Granadillo—all against Ben Sears—to break into the run column over the final two innings.

Williams’ (2-1) win marked the right-hander’s second and the Bandits 12th quality start of the season, while Perry (1-1) suffered his first loss as a member of the Cubs’ organization, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits, two walks, and two strikeouts.

The River Bandits will look to split their six-game set against South Bend on Sunday afternoon, as they send Ryan Ramsey (0-1, 1.73) to the mound opposite Tyler Schlaffer (0-1, 6.75). The series finale at Modern Woodmen Park is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.