Karson Milbrandt solid in start but Beloit Sky Carp fall 1-0 to Quad Cities River Bandits

BELOIT — Karson Milbrandt and the Beloit Sky Carp bullpen were on fire in Tuesday night’s series opener at ABC Supply Stadium.

Unfortunately, the Sky Carp’s batters were as cold as ice as the Quad Cities River Bandits opened up the six-game set with a 1-0 win.

Carson Roccaforte led off the top of the second inning with a solo homer to right-center field off Milbrandt, who was otherwise stellar in his start. He worked out of trouble early as he stranded Jac Caglianone, who singled with two outs in the first, Shervyen Newton, who singled with an out and went to second on an error in the second.

Milbrandt threw a 1-2-3 third got Omar Hernandez to ground out after Justin Johnson had singled and Newton had walked with two outs in the fourth. He finished with a perfect fifth and sixth frame to complete his outing, where he allowed four hits and walked one while striking out five.

Josh White threw two scoreless innings with five strikeouts and Xavier Meachem struck out one while tossing a clean ninth to preserve the one-run lead.

But the Sky Carp struggled to get runners into scoring positions, putting just three runners past third base all night.

Tony Bullard’s leadoff single in the bottom of the third and Colby Shade’s leadoff single in the sixth were the only two hits that River Bandits’ starter Ryan Ramsey allowed as he struck out eight and didn’t issue a walk, although he hit a batter.

Beloit blew a prime opportunity in the seventh as reliever Chazz Martinez allowed back-to-back singles by Ryan Ignoffo and Kemp Alderman to start the frame before walking Brock Vradenburg. But Jay Beshears and Josh Zamora’s fly outs didn’t leave the infield and Bullard struck out to end the threat.

Wilfredo Lara hit a two-out single in the eighth but was stranded and Ben Sears sent Beloit down in order in the ninth for his 12th save of the season.

Beloit had five batters scatter five hits and Justin Johnson paced Quad Cities with two hits.

The two squads will meet again on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m.

• BOXSCORE:

QUAD CITIES 1, BELOIT 0

QC 010 000 000 – 1 5 0

Beloit 000 000 000 – 0 5 1

QUAD CITIES (ab-r-h-rbi): Dickerson, ss, 4-0-0-0; Nivens, rf, 4-0-0-0; Cagliano, 1b, 4-0-1-0; Werner, 3b, 4-0-0-0; Roccaforte, cf, 4-1-1-1; Johnson, 2b, 3-0-2-0; Newton, dh, 3-0-1-0; Hernandez, c, 3-0-0-0; Nadal, lf, 3-0-0-0. Totals: 32-1-5-1.

BELOIT (ab-r-h-rbi): Coley, lf, 4-0-0-0; Lara, 2b, 4-0-1-0; Ignoffo, c, 4-0-1-0; Alderman, rf, 4-0-1-0; Vradenburg, 1b, 3-0-0-0; Beshears, ss, 3-0-0-0; Zamora, dh, 3-0-0-0; Bullard, 3b, 3-0-1-0; Shade, cf, 3-0-1-0. Totals: 31-0-5-0.

E: Shade. LOB: QC 6, Bel 6. 2B: Johnson. HR: Roccaforte (8). CS: Shade.

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): QC, Ramsey (W,4-3) 6.0-2-0-0-0-8; Martinez 1.0-2-0-0-1-1; Sears 2.0-1-0-0-0-1. Bel, Milbrandt (L,1-6) 6.0-4-1-1-1-5; White 2.0-1-0-0-0-5; Meachem 1.0-0-0-0-1-1.

WP: Meachem, HBP: Beshears by Ramsey.

T: 2:13. Att.: 1,614.