River Bandits throw a hit party against Timber Rattlers

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By Steve Batterson | Monday, April 07, 2008 |

River Bandits infielder Mike Folli, left, forces Wisconsin’s Korey Feiner out at second base Sunday at Modern Woodman Park. The River Bandits won 6-1. (Elisa Petersen/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

One hit led to another Sunday for the Quad-Cities River Bandits.

After struggling at the plate during the opening days of the Midwest League season, Quad-Cities finally found some offense in a 6-1 victory that allowed the River Bandits to split their four-game series with Wisconsin.

“This was exactly what we needed,” said Charlie Pelt, who broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run double in the third inning.

Pelt’s drive to the gap in left-center was his first hit of the season and he was one of four River Bandits to record their first hits of the year during a 10-hit attack by Quad-Cities.

“Once you get that first one, you can just play,” Pelt said. “It shouldn’t be a big deal, but it is. Until you get it, it’s in the back of your mind, and we all showed today what type of a team we can be. We’ve got good hitters. Today, we finally found the holes.”

Quad-Cities, which entered the game with a .130 team batting average, picked up hits from eight spots in the lineup and distanced itself from the Timber Rattlers by stringing together five straight hits in the third inning.

Pete Kozma and Justin Roberson each hit one-out singles to center before Pelt collected the game-winning RBI with his double. Domnit Bolivar followed with a single to left, allowing Charlie Kingrey to drive Pelt home with a single to center.

“That inning was good to see. Five hits in a row, that’s a big inning for us right now and for this time of the season,” Quad-Cities manager Steve Dillard said.

“We looked a lot better at the plate and once guys get that first hit, it relaxes them a bit which is good.’’

Adron Chambers drove home the River Bandits’ final two runs, scoring Mike Folli on a sacrifice fly in the sixth and driving in Luis De La Cruz with an eighth-inning single.

That provided more than enough offense for the trio of Quad-Cities pitchers who saw action in the game.

Blake King, Wayne Daman and Andres Rosales gave up 10 hits as well, but only four Timber Rattlers reached second base.

Daman was credited with the victory, scattering three hits over 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, while Rosales — who is the tandem partner of King — earned his first save by working the final three innings.

“Those were big innings for Daman. Our bullpen was pretty thin. We needed him to give us a pretty decent outing and he delivered,” Dillard said.

The Timber Rattlers put runners on first and second to open the fifth, but after walking Calvin Beaman and giving up an infield single to Gavin Dickey, Daman got Alexi Liddi to flyout and then put his only two strikeouts of the game in the books to end Wisconsin’s final threat of the game.

River Bandits scoreboard

The score

Quad-Cities 6, Wisconsin 1

On deck

Quad-Cities River Bandits at Cedar Rapids Kernels, noon, today, Veterans Memorial Stadium, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Probable pitchers: Quad-Cities, Thomas Eager (0-0, 0.00 ERA); Cedar Rapids, Trevor Reckling (0-0, 0.00)

Garcia injured

Quad-Cities second baseman Jose Garcia suffered a hamstring injury during the second inning of Sunday’s game.

“We probably won’t know the extent until (today), but I suspect he could be out for a few days,’’ River Bandits manager Steve Dillard said.

The injury happened when Garcia awkwardly lunged toward first base while trying to beat out an infield grounder.

“Guys are supposed to run through the bag and not jump at it. I initially thought he might have injured his knee or ankle, so he may come out of this about as good as you could hope,’’ Dillard said.

Into action

When Garcia went down, Mike Folli took his spot in the lineup and responded to the opportunity by reaching base three times.

“He’s going to be a valuable guy for us. He can play a number of positions and he holds his own at the plate,’’ Dillard said.

The Cardinals are looking for versatility from some of their infielders, one reason that Pete Kozma moved from shortstop to third and Domnit Bolivar played shortstop instead of third on Sunday.

Dillard said both players, as well as Garcia and Folli, will see action at multiple infield positions.

To the show

Former Quad-Cities outfielder Denard Span made his major-league debut on Sunday, going

0-for-2 with a walk for Minnesota in its loss to Kansas City while replacing injured Michael Cuddyer on the Twins roster.

Span, a first-round pick of Minnesota in 2002, hit .267 and was third on the team in stolen bases while playing for the Swing of the Quad-Cities in 2004.

On the board

The River Bandits didn’t waste any time ending a string of 16 consecutive scoreless innings, pushing a run across on a two-out single by Bolivar in the bottom of the first inning Sunday.

Quick trip

Sunday’s game ended the season-opening homestand for Quad-Cities, which opens a four-game series at Cedar Rapids with a noon game today.

The River Bandits return home on Friday, welcoming South Bend for a three-game series over the weekend.

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com.