Rattlers Snap Bandits’ Win Streak at Three
Davenport, Iowa – The Quad Cities River Bandits saw their three-game win streak come to an end Friday, as they fell to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 7-4 at Modern Woodmen Park. Quad Cities’ starter Frank Mozzicato struggled with his command, issuing five walks over a 2.2-inning start. After Quad Cities
Davenport, Iowa – The Quad Cities River Bandits saw their three-game win streak come to an end Friday, as they fell to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 7-4 at Modern Woodmen Park.
Quad Cities’ starter Frank Mozzicato struggled with his command, issuing five walks over a 2.2-inning start. After Quad Cities erased an early 1-0 deficit with a two-run bottom of the second—scoring runs on Shervyen Newton’s RBI-single and Dustin Dickerson’s sacrifice-fly—the left-hander allowed a run on a wild pitch and issued two bases loaded walks in the top of the third, putting the Bandits behind 4-2.
While Ben Hernenadez worked Quad Cities out of the third-inning jam, Wisconsin added to its lead against him in the fourth, scoring another run on a wild pitch and taking a 6-2 lead on a Jadher Areinamo sacrifice-fly.
Shervyen Newton brought the Bandits back within a pair in the bottom of the fourth, taking Rattlers’ starter Will Rudy deep to right-field for a two-run shot, but it would be the final blemish on the night for the right-hander and Quad Cities’ last run-scoring swing.
Hernandez finished a High-A season-high 3.1-inning outing by retiring eight of the final nine batters he faced, before handing the ball to Chazz Martinez. The southpaw allowed just his second earned run of the second half on Jheremy Vargas’s sacrifice-fly, giving Wisconsin its 7-4 lead in the seventh.
Although Quad Cities struck for just one baserunner from the sixth to eighth innings thanks to 3.0-scoreless frames from Jeferson Figueroa, the Bandits did not go quietly in the ninth. The club loaded the bases on three Tyler Bryant walks and brough the game-winning run to the plate with two outs, but the Wisconsin closer earned his second High-A win, getting Carson Roccaforte to ground out and end the game.
Despite yielding 11 baserunners over 5.0 innings, Rudy (4-7) struck out seven in a 5.0-inning win for the Timber Rattlers, while Mozzicato (4-7) suffered his four-straight loss, surrendering four runs in 2.2 innings.
Quad Cities continues its six-game set against Wisconsin on Saturday and sends Hunter Owen (6-6, 4.24) to the hill against the Rattlers’ Alexander Cornielle (6-4, 4.30). First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.