Quad Cities Report: River Bandits Win Season Opener

The 2017 season took off on a winning note for the Single-A Astros affiliate Quad City River Bandits.

Quad Cities bested the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at home 3-0 on Thursday night. The River Bandits pitching struck out 15 batters in the victory with Abdiel Saldana claiming the win and Derick Velazquez earning the save. The team scored all three of their runs in the fourth inning with outfielder Taylor Jones hitting a solo home run. Jones was the 19th round pick out of Gonzaga in last years draft. Through three games he is now hitting .182 in 11 at-bats.

Other notable hitting performances came from shortstop Alex De Goti (16th Rnd – 2016) with two hits on the night. Daz Cameron, Ronnie Dawson, and Anibal Sierra all recorded a hit as well.

The next two games of the series saw the River Bandits lose 1-0 and 3-2. On Friday, Texas native Trey Supak struck out seven Quad Cities batters through 5.1 innings of shutout baseball for Wisconsin. River Bandits pitcher Carson LaRue (14th Rnd – 2016) responded with five innings of shutout baseball himself. The lone run was scored in the eight innings leaving Dustin Hunt (10th Rnd – 2016) on the losing end.

Ooutfielder Stephen Wrenn (6th Rnd – 2016) and catcher Chuckie Robinson (21st Rnd – 2016) recorded two hits a piece in the loss.

Saturday’s game saw the Astros 2016 4th Round pick out of Michigan, pitcher Brett Adcock, get the start. Adcock pitched 4.2 innings of shutout baseball while striking out eight batters. Quad Cities got up by two runs but lost the lead in the seventh with Cuban pitcher Carlos Sierra recording the loss. First baseman Spencer Johnson (Rnd 16 – 2016) got three hits including one triple.

Who’s on the team?

Quad Cities is managed by Russ Steinhorn and the roster includes recent high draft picks. Last year’s first round pick pitcher Forrest Whitley, catcher Jake Rogers (3rd Round – 2016), and outfielders Daz Cameron (1st round – 2015) and Ronnie Dawson (2nd Round – 2016) highlight the group.

Through three games Anibal Sierra and Spencer Johnson lead Quad Cities in hits with three each. And Daz Cameron has swiped three bases in the young season. Pitchers Hector Perez and Adcock also lead the club with eight strikeouts each.

Next: Despite Third Straight Astros Loss, Dallas Keuchel Provides Encouraging Results

The River Bandits play again today at 1pm with Tyler Britton (23rd Rnd – 2016) taking the mound in the series finale against Wisconsin.

**Statistics courtesy of MiLB.com**