Shields’ Gem Leads Quad Cities to Pivotal Win Over Sky Carp

Davenport, Iowa – Royals’ No. 4 prospect David Shields struck out seven and twirled his fourth quality start of the season Saturday, as the Quad Cities River Bandits (66-54, 36-21) took a 3-2 lead in their six-game series against the Beloit Sky Carp (63-61, 36-23) with a 7-2 victory at Modern Woodmen Park.

The win ensures the Bandits at least a split of their set with second-place Beloit and that Quad Cities controls its own density during its final regular season series next week in Peoria.

Shields’ dominance began early and often, with the 19-year-old retiring the first 14 Sky Carp hitters of the ballgame, including four strikeouts and seven ground-ball outs.

The River Bandits’ bats seized the opportunity to jump ahead in the third, taking a 1-0 lead against Beloit starter Carson Laws when Zion Rose drew a two-out walk, stole second, advanced to third on a balk, and then scored on wild pitch.

The third inning would be first of five-straight featuring River Bandits runs, as Austin Charles plated Jose Cerice’s two-out double with an RBI-single for a two-run Quad Cities lead in the fourth. Cerice’s two-bagger followed his team-leading 27th hit-by-pitch, which extended his league-best on-base streak to 45 games.

After failing to record a baserunner through the first four innings, Beloit ended the Bandits’ no-hit and shutout bid in the fifth, with Cam Clayton’s two-out double extending the frame for Esmil Valencia, who launched a game-tying two-run homer.

During the next half-inning, Quad Cities got the two runs right back and went up 4-2 on an RBI-single from Zion Rose and an RBI-fielder’s choice off the bat of Blake Mitchell. The frame was the final pitched by Laws, who allowed four runs, three earned, over 5.0 innings.

Shields closed out his High-A-leading 24th start by working around a Dillon Head single and striking out the side in the sixth. The effort lowered the southpaw’s earned run average to 3.91, the top mark in the Midwest League among all qualified pitchers.

Tyriq Kemp extended Quad Cities’ lead to three with an RBI-double in the sixth against Hayden Cuthbertson, before Derlin Figueroa’s two-run double off Juan De La Cruz gave the Bandits their 7-2 advantage in the seventh.

In relief of Shields, Ethan McElvain earned his first hold and continued the scoreless start to his career with a clean frame ahead of LP Langevin’s entrance in the eighth. The right-hander struck out the side before recording his fourth and fifth strikeouts of the night in the ninth to close out the game.

Now up to 105 on the season, Langevin’s strikeout total is the eighth-best among all Midwest League pitchers and the most among all full-time minor league relievers this season.

Shields (11-5) earned his High-A-leading 11th win in the effort, while Laws (2-7) was saddled with the loss, his first against Quad Cities in four starts against the club this season.

The River Bandits return to Modern Woodmen Park to close out their six-game series with Beloit and their final regular season homestand. John Means (0-0, 0.00) is scheduled to make his second Triple-A rehabilitation start as a member of the club, while Julio Mendez (2-1, 3.29) is the probable starter for Beloit. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.