Bandits Get By Rattlers 3-2

GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Quad Cities River Bandits broke a 2-2 tie with a run in the top of the eighth inning and beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Rattlers put up a good fight, but wound up on the short-end of the score against a Bandits team that has had Wisconsin's number this season.

Quad Cities (71-44 overall, 28-21 second half) broke the scoreless deadlock with a run in the top of the fifth inning. Orlando Marquez doubled to start the frame, but he was still at second base with two outs. Wisconsin starting pitcher Scotty Sunitsch hit Wilyer Abreu to extend the inning. Alex McKenna made the Rattlers pay with a single to right-center to score Marquez.

Wisconsin (57-61, 26-23) rallied in the bottom of the fifth inning. Brent Díaz was hit by a pitch from River Bandits starting pitcher Brett Daniels. Antonio Piñero was next and he snapped an 0-for-22 slump with a single to left. A groundout put the runners at second and third with one out, but Daniels got a strikeout for out number two. Yeison Coca did not let the chance go to waste for the Rattlers. He pulled a 2-2 pitch from Daniels into the corner in right for a two-run triple and the Rattlers were up 2-1.

However, the River Bandits came back in the top of the sixth inning on a solo home run by Oscar Campos to tie the game.

Sunitsch allowed two runs on six hits with nine strikeouts over 5-2/3 innings. He has 123 strikeouts on the season over 117 innings pitched.

In the eighth inning, the first three Quad Cities batters reached against reliever Tyler Gillies on a single, a walk, and a single. Marquez drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly and the Bandits had the lead.

Jose Bravo, the Quad Cities reliever who took over for Daniels in the fifth inning retired the Rattlers in order in the sixth, seventh, and eighth inning. He set down eleven batters in a row before Chad McClanahan singled with one out in the ninth to bring the winning run to the plate. Bravo stopped any thoughts of a Wisconsin comeback when he got the next batter to ground into a game-ending 5-4-3 double play.

Wisconsin is 3-11 against the River Bandits this season, including 1-6 at home. The Rattlers are 0-4 versus Quad Cities in the second half of the season.
The final game of the three-game series is Monday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Adam Hill (6-7, 4.29) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Quad Cities has named Guadalupe Chavez (0-1, 5.40) as their starter. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05pm.
The Timber Rattlers and Neuroscience Group invite the kids to one final afternoon fling for Kids Rock the Ballpark on Monday afternoon! Neuroscience Group has a limited number of free bike helmets for kids who complete a set of safety exercises down by the first base pavilion and Appleton Rock School will perform outside the stadium prior to the game. Plus, PBS Kids' star Super WHY returns to meet everyone who couldn't make it to Sunday's game.

There is free use of the inflatables in the Kids' Zone, children 12 and under will receive a Kids Eat Free voucher when they enter the park, and there will be a host of other fun things for the young fans, too.

Adults may also get a free admission to this game if they stop at a Qdoba location in Appleton, Neenah, or Oshkosh for lunch. Purchase an entrée and you will receive a free ticket for the game. Also, Primrose presents the Silver Foxes Deal - box seat ticket, bucket hat, beverage, and brat or hot dog for $17 - to those 55 & older.
If you can't make it out to the ballpark, the radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM and the TuneIn Radio app starting with the Papa John's Pizza Pregame Show at 11:45am. MiLB.tv subscribers can watch the game over the internet.