(TIMBER RATTLERS) DAVENPORT, IA – The Quad Cities River Bandits broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning and pulled away from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers with three runs in the bottom of the seventh on Thursday night at Modern Woodmen Park. Quad Cities defeated the Rattlers 7-3 in the game to go up 2-1 through the first three games of the six-game series.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Robert Gasser made his first rehabilitation appearance on Thursday night as the starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. He walked Blake Mitchell with one out in the first. Daniel Vazquez followed with a double to left-center. The throw to the plate from Jadher Areinamo hit Mitchell and deflected to the Wisconsin dugout to allow Mitchell to score and Vazquez to take third base. Callan Moss knocked in Vazquez with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.
Wisconsin (42-50 overall, 8-19 second half) came back with a run in the top of the second inning. Juan Baez walked with two outs. Then, Luiyin Alastre tripled to right to score Baez from third.
Quad Cities (54-38, 15-11) added a run in the bottom of the second against reliever Jaron DeBerry. Bryan Gonzalez delivered a two-out, RBI single to get Carter Frederick home from second base.
The Rattlers tied the game with single runs in the third and fourth innings. Areinamo doubled with one out in the third. Then, he took advantage of the defensive alignment of the River Bandits with the left-handed Hedbert Pérez at the plate. Derlin Figueroa, the third baseman for the Bandits, was playing well off the third base bag and Areinamo broke for third as the catcher returned the ball to pitcher Logan Martin after a pitch to Pérez. Martin threw wildly as he tried to get the ball to Figueroa, who was also dashing for third. The ball wound up in foul territory and Areinamo scored easily.
In the fourth, Alastre drove in his second run of the night. He stepped in with runners at second and third with one out and knocked in Andrick Nava from third with an RBI grounder to tie the game.
Areinamo started the Wisconsin fifth by reaching base when he was hit by a pitch. However, he would be stranded at third base when the inning ended.
The Bandits went back in front in their half of the fifth. Sam Kulasingam and Mitchell started the inning with singles to put runners on the corners with no outs. Vazquez hit a fly ball deep enough to center to score Kulasingam for the 4-3 lead and the second of three RBI on the night for Vazquez.
Wisconsin put their lead-off runner on base in both the sixth and seventh innings but could not get the tying run home.
Quad Cities put the game away in the bottom of the seventh. Kulasingam tripled to open the frame. Mitchell singled to drive him home and end DeBerry’s night.
Patricio Aquino relieved DeBerry and gave up an RBI double to Vazquez before he retired the next two batters. Then, Chris Brito added one more insurance run for the Bandits with a two-out single for a 7-3 lead.
The Rattlers stranded seven runners and were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Thursday night.
Game four of the series is Friday Night at Modern Woodmen Park. Manuel Rodriguez (1-2, 1.99) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. The River Bandits have named Felix Arronde (3-5, 2.71) as their starter. Game time is 6:30pm.
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