Quad Cities Sweeps South Bend For West Division Title

South Bend, Indiana – The Quad Cities River Bandits clinched the 2026 Midwest League West Division Title Thursday, sweeping the South Bend Cubs in two games with a 3-1 win at Four Winds Field and securing their first visit to the Midwest League Championship since 2021.

As he did in Tuesday’s series-opener, Austin Charles got Quad Cities on the board first, plating Derlin Figueroa with a two-out RBI-double down the left-field line against Cubs’ starter Nazier Mule. The shortstop has gathered four hits and six RBI through the first two games of the Bandits’ playoff run.

The one-run advantage was more than enough for Royals’ top prospect and Quad Cities’ starter Kendry Chourio, who struck out six and shut out the Cubs over a 4.1-inning effort, while not allowing a hit until the fifth inning.

After surrendering his second single of the frame, a line drive to left off the bat of Caden Sorrell, Chourio handed the ball to Ethan McElvain. The left-hander walked Josiah Hartshorn to load the bases with one out, but struck out Kade Snell and got Angel Cepeda to fly out and keep the Bandits’ 1-0 lead intact.

Quad Cities doubled its advantage in the sixth with another double. After Ramon Ramirez stole his way into scoring position with two outs, Cerice plated the Bandits’ catcher by looping an RBI-double down the right-field line for a 2-0 advantage.

Following McElvain’s escape in the fifth, Emmanuel Reyes handled the next three innings on the mound for the River Bandits. The right-hander stuck out the side in order in the sixth, but allowed South Bend into the run column on Caden Sorrell’s RBI-single in the seventh.

The very next half-inning, Quad Cities went back up by a pair, pushing ahead 3-1 with the bases loaded when Asbel Gonzalez was hit by an Anhuar Garcia fastball to force in a run.

Reyes worked around Matt Halbach’s two-out single in the bottom of the eighth to complete his 3.0-inning relief effort with five strikeouts and no walks.

LP Langevin was tasked with the ninth and punched Quad Cities’ ticket to the championship series with a perfect inning, including back-to-back strikeouts of pinch-hitter Brennan Hudson and Sorrell to end the ballgame.

Reyes (1-0) earned the win for the River Bandits, while Mule (0-1) was saddled with the loss, allowing one run over 3.0 innings with two hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Langevin (1) was awarded his postseason’s first save.

The River Bandits will play either the Dayton Dragons or the Great Lakes Loons in the first game of the best-of-three championship series Sunday, September 13 at Modern Woodmen Park. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale at the Modern Woodmen Park box office and online at riverbandits.com.