Quad Cities River Bandits RHP Ronel Blanco pitched five hitless innings vs. the Beloit Snappers on Saturday. (Photo by Craig Wieczorkiewicz/The Midwest League Traveler)

The Quad Cities River Bandits held the Beloit Snappers hitless through eight innings Saturday on their way to winning 8-2 at Modern Woodmen Park.

River Bandits RHP Ronel Blanco got the win, improving to 5-3 with a 3.32 ERA in the Midwest League this season. The Houston Astros farmhand walked three, struck out three, and hit a batter, but didn’t give up a hit in five scoreless innings.

It was quite a bounce-back effort by Blanco, who gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits and five walks in four innings in his previous start, vs. the Kane County Cougars last Sunday.

Left-handed reliever Patrick Sandoval earned a save by pitching the last four innings for the River Bandits, notching six strikeouts along the way. He kept the no-hitter going until Beloit’s Josh Vidales led off the 9th with a single. The next two Snappers batters got hits, too; Luke Persico singled and then Kyle Nowlin doubled home the two runners to make the score 8-2.

Daz Cameron hit his 12th homer of the season for the River Bandits. Cameron, Troy Sieber and Ronnie Dawson each drove in two runs for Quad Cities. Sieber and Chuckie Robinson each had three hits for the River Bandits.