It's Playoff Time for Dykxhoorn and the River Bandits.

                Despite dropping their final game of the regular season to the Beloit Snappers by a score of 4-3 on Monday afternoon, the Quad City River Bandits still finished with the best record in the Midwest League (A). They were the Western Division’s first half winners with a record of 43-23, five games ahead of the second place Cedar Rapids Kernels.

                In the second half of the season, they finished with a 43-27 record, good enough for second place, five games behind the Kane County Cougars, for an overall record of 86-50, four games better than Kane County. Both teams had better records than any team in the Eastern Division.

                After a day off on Tuesday, Quad City will begin the Midwest League playoffs on Wednesday, with the first game of a best of three series against Cedar Rapids. Game 1 will be an away game for the Bandits with the second game back at Modern Woodman Park in Davenport, Iowa on Thursday while Game 3, if necessary will be on Friday also at Modern Woodman Park.

                Cedar Rapids did not have as good a second half as their Wild Card first half finish, with a 36-34 record. Their last ten games of the season resulted in a 5-5 record.

                Since “Top Of The Third” last posted a story on the River Bandits mid-way through August, the team has won 13 while losing eight.

                Canadian born Brock Dykxhoorn posted a 1-1 record with a no-decision in his final three starts, striking out six in 17 innings pitched. For the season, his first with the River Bandits, Dykxhoorn finished with a 8-5 win/loss record with a 3.88 ERA. He pitched in 22 games and started 18, striking out 94 batters in 109 innings pitched.

                If you happen to be in Davenport Iowa on Thursday and Friday, tickets are $9 for box seats and $5 for bleachers. Also, the Bandits are offering $2 beers. Tickets can be purchased here.

                “Top Of The Third” would like to wish Brock and the Bandits the best of luck with the Kernels this week and we will keep our readers posted on what transpires in the first round of the Midwest League playoffs.

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