Beloit Sky Carp drop fifth-straight in 2-1 loss to Quad Cities River Bandits

DAVENPORT, Iowa — When Torin Montgomery smashed a solo home run to left field in the top of the seventh, it seemed just like the offensive spark that the Beloit Sky Carp needed in order to overcome a 2-0 deficit against the Quad Cities River Bandits.

But the next time Montgomery stepped up, the Sky Carp were an out away from suffering their fifth-straight loss, which the River Bandits handed them after striking out the first baseman to seal a 2-1 win.

Quad Cities now leads the six-game series 2-0.

Beloit starter Emmett Olson was solid on the mound with his sole shotty inning coming in the third. Justin Johnson and Jean Ramirez led off the frame with a pair of singles and a wild pitch moved both to third. Jack Pineda’s sacrifice fly to center broke the scoreless tie, and Carter Jenesen sent a sac fly to left to up it to 2-0.

Olson got a strikeout to end the inning, and he sent the River Bandits down 1-2-3 in the fourth and fifth. Quad Cities threatened in the sixth as Jensen sent a one-out single into left and Kale Emshoff was hit by pitch an out later but a groundout kept it a two-run game.

Olson allowed two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts in six innings tossed.

River Bandits’ starter Steven Zobac kept Beloit off the board as he allowed just two hits, both singles by Cameron Barstad, in six innings.

After Josh Zamora flew out to start the seventh, Montgomery sent his third homer of the year out off reliever Chase Isbell, who then got back-to-back strikeouts.

Josh Ekness allowed a hit and walk but kept it a one-run game with two strikeouts for the Sky Carp. But Beloit was shut down by reliever Ben Searls, who allowed just a walk to Jorge Caballero in two hitless innings to earn his sixth save of the season.

Jensen and Johnson each had two hits for Quad Cities, which outhit Beloit 5-3.

The two squads will meet again on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

• BOXSCORE:

RIVER BANDITS 2, SKY CARP 1

Beloit 000 000 100 — 1 3 0

QC 002 000 00 — 2 5 0

BELOIT (ab-r-h-rbi) — Olmstead, ss, 4-0-0-0, Coley, cf, 4-0-0-0, Zamora, 3b, 4-0-0-0, Montgomery, 1b, 4-1-1-1, DeLeo, rf, 3-0-0-0, Barstad, c, 3-0-2-0, Caballero, dh, 2-0-0-0, Santiago, 2b, 3-0-0-0, Luttrell, lf, 3-0-0-0. Totals: 30-1-3-1.

QC (ab-r-h-rbi) — Pineda, ss, 3-0-0-1, Jensen, c, 3-0-2-1, Squires, 1b, 4-0-0-0, Emshoff, dh, 3-0-0-0, Roccaforte, cf, 3-0-0-0, Dickey, rf, 3-0-0-0, Werner, 3b, 3-0-0-0, Johnson, 2b, 3-1-2-0, Ramirez, lf, 2-1-1-0. Totals: 27-2-5-2.

LOB: Beloit 3, QC 5. HR: Montgomery (3). SF: Jensen, Pineda.

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): Beloit, Olson (L,2-3,6.0-4-2-2-0-4), Ekness (2.0-1-0-0-1-2). QC, Zobac (W,4-4,6.0-2-0-0-0-7), Isbell (1.0-1-1-1-0-2), Sears (S,6,2.0-0-0-0-1-1).

WP: Olson, Ekness. HBP: Emshoff (by Olson). T: 2:01. Att: 2,120.