Green Jr.’s Homer Sinks Quad Cities to Fourth-Straight Loss

Lansing, Michigan – The River Bandits held a one-run lead in the eighth inning Tuesday, but a four-run Lugnuts half, capped off by Rodney Green Jr.’s three-run home run, lifted Lansing over Quad Cities 7-4 at Jackson Field.

Both starting pitchers turned in two-run efforts, with Quad Cities’ David Shields surrendering his lone pair of runs on Nate Nankil’s two-run double in the bottom of the fourth.

Steven Echavarria worked a career-high 6.2 innings but was tagged for Derlin Figueroa’s 434-foot solo shot in the fifth and Jose Cerice’s game-tying RBI-single in the seventh.

Justin Riemer quickly put Lansing back in front in the next half-inning though, as the shortstop drove in Carlos Franco with a sacrifice-fly against Cory Ronan.

Quad Cities took its only lead of the game in the eighth, with Ramon Ramirez and Luke Pelzer linking back-to-back two-out RBI-singles off Ryan Brown to jump ahead 4-3.

The River Bandits turned to Hunter Alberini for the bottom half, where Franco retied the game with a sacrifice-fly before Green Jr. blasted the Lugnuts in front 7-4 with his three-run home run up into the adjacent apartment building.

Abel Mercedes closed out the game in the bottom of the ninth, working around Tyriq Kemp’s two-out walk en route to his first save of the season.

Brown (2-2) was charged with a blown save, but earned the win out of Lansing’s bullpen, while Alberini (0-1) was saddled with the loss for the River Bandits, allowing three runs over one inning of relief.

Quad Cities returns to Jackson Field for game two of the six-game set tomorrow morning and sends Blake Wolters (0-0, 0.00) to the mound for his High-A debut opposite Lansing’s Samuel Dutton (0-3, 5.40). First pitch is set for 11:05 a.m. ET.