Quad Cities Punches Ticket to 2024 Playoffs

Davenport, Iowa – The Quad Cities River won their seventh-straight game and secured a 2024 playoff berth Wednesday, defeating the Beloit Sky Carp 5-1 at Modern Woodmen Park.

Quad Cities’ win over Beloit shrunk the Bandits’ magic number to one, but shortly after the final out in Davenport, a Peoria Chiefs loss at Dozer Park officially clinched the River Bandits’ second postseason appearance in their four-year history as a Royals’ affiliate.

The ballgame began as a pitcher’s duel, with Henry Williams, Shane Panzini, and Sky Carp starter Noble Meyer keeping the game scoreless and hitless through the first four and a half innings. Williams, Quad Cities’ starter, pitched 3.0-perfect innings before turning the ball over to Panzini, who followed with a perfect fourth and fifth innings. Meyer stuck out seven through 4.0 full frames and worked around a hit batsman and a pair of walks.

Miami’s No. 2 prospect and baseball’s No. 73 (MLB Pipeline) returned for the bottom of the fifth, but allowed back-to-back baserunners, including the first hit of the game—a single off the bat of Sam Kulasingam. After hitting Justin Johnson with a pitch to load the bases, the Bandits took a 1-0 lead off the newly entered Xavier Mitchell, who allowed an RBI on Spencer Nivens’ sacrifice-fly.

Beloit quickly responded and tied in the game 1-1 in the sixth, as Gage Miller drove in a run on an RBI-fielder’s choice. Despite giving up the lead, Panzini finished up the frame and watched the bats jump back in front in the bottom half with Quad Cities scoring two runs on wild pitches and then a third on a Kulasingam sacrifice-fly.

Chase Isbell maintained the River Bandits’ 4-1 lead en route to his season’s fourth hold and faced just one over the minimum with three strikeouts in 2.0-scoreless innings, before Chazz Martinez stranded a pair of men on base in the ninth and closed out the ballgame.

Panzini (3-3) earned credit for the win, allowing just one run in 3.0 innings of relief, while Meachem (1-5) was tagged with the loss for Beloit.

Quad Cities continues its six-game set with the Sky Carp and goes for an eighth consecutive win Thursday night at Modern Woodmen Park. Ethan Bosacker (7-1, 1.79) is slated to get the start opposite Beloit’s Thomas White (4-3, 2.37). First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.

After the conclusion of the regular season on September 8, the Bandits will host the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers for Game One of the Midwest League Western Division Championship on Tuesday, September 10 at Modern Woodmen Park.