Matt Carpenter looked around, savored the moment and then went to work Thursday night in front of a crowd of 6,979 at Modern Woodmen Park.

The new Quad-Cities third baseman picked up in his Midwest League debut where he left off at short-season Batavia, swinging a hot bat.

Earning a quick promotion after a .484 start in eight games in the New York-Penn League, Carpenter finished a 3-for-4 effort in the River Bandits' 3-0 loss to Burlington with a one-out triple in the ninth inning.

"The only thing that would have made this any better would have been if we could have won the game," Carpenter said after a game that was decided by a three-run homer by the Bees' Jason Taylor.

"I'm just excited to be here and have a chance to play in this beautiful stadium and to be playing professional baseball. This is pretty special to me."

It's been a whirlwind month for Carpenter, selected by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the June draft as a fifth-year senior at Texas Christian.

He was initially assigned to the short-season club before earning a quick promotion.

"It's all been a little unbelievable. I went to Batavia wanting to make the most of any opportunity I had, and that approach won't change now," Carpenter said.

Following an effort Thursday that began with a strong defensive play that opened the game, Quad-Cities manager Steve Dillard said the opportunities will continue for the Sugar Land, Texas native.

"He jumped right in and came out swinging," Dillard said. "He made a great play to start the game, drove a couple of balls to left and pulled one to right center. He even showed us a little speed. I think he can help us."

Carpenter accounted for half of the River Bandits' offense against the Bees, collecting one of the three hits allowed by Burlington starter Mike Lehmann through six innings.

"He kept us off balance," Carpenter said. "He showed us a good change-up and would get you a little bit out in front of him and that made it tough."

BURLINGTON 3, QUAD-CITIES 0

ONE SWING: All it took was one swing of the bat to decide Thursday's game. The Bees' Jason Taylor, a second-round choice of the Royals in 2006 who returned to Burlington earlier this week, belted a three-run homer to left in the top of the sixth inning to account for all of the game's scoring.

QUOTEBOOK: "We saw enough of Taylor last season. (Bandits starter Kevin Thomas) didn't go after him like he went after the guys who followed him and it hurt. There's no question Taylor can hit. He was one of the better players in the league last year.'' - Bandits manager Steve Dillard

RIGHTY-LEFTY: The Bees combination of right-handed starter Mike Lehmann and southpaw reliever Blaine Hardy combined on the six-hit shutout. It marked the seventh time in 77 games Quad-Cities has been blanked.

STRAIGHT SHOOTER: Pro wrestling great Sgt. Slaughter threw out the ceremonial first pitch Thursday. River Bandits pitcher Dave Carpenter was on the receiving end of the ball that crossed the plate after Slaughter said a few words to welcome the crowd. Slaughter, a Minnesota native, said he grew up listening to White Sox and Yankees games on the radio before the Twins moved to town.

QUICK STAT: Four of the six runners the River Bandits left on base were stranded on third.

PREGAME HONORS: Dillard was presented a plaque prior to the start of the game in recognition of his becoming the all-time wins leader in Quad-Cities professional baseball history.

NEXT: Burlington at Quad-Cities, 6 p.m., today