DAVENPORT, Iowa- The Quad Cities River Bandits, will open their season in Burlington, Iowa, because of heavy flooding and railroad construction.
April 1, the team announced the ballpark itself is protected from the floods, but "getting the players, staff, equipment, and fans in and out of the ballpark remains a challenge.".
The Bandits state in a release, that the first two home games of the season have tentatively been moved to April 15 at Modern Woodmen Park, but the final call will be made by April 8.
"The City of Davenport installed a flood wall system in 2004 to provide protection to the ballpark allowing baseball to be enjoyed in the Quad Cities during river flooding, a system that was expanded and approved in 2010. Unfortunately, the particular nature of this 2019 flood has caused delays in preparing the ballpark for Opening Night as the rising flood waters have made it difficult for the team to receive food and beverage shipments as well as necessary equipment."
The first two games of the season are scheduled for Thursday, April 4 and Friday, April 5. They both begin at 6:00 p.m. in Burlington Iowa.
