Peoria, IL - Juan Yepez returned to the Midwest League and launched two homers with a career-high seven RBI in his Peoria Chiefs 2019 debut in a 12-5 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits Tuesday night. The Chiefs, playing as the road team in their home park due to
Peoria, IL - Juan Yepez returned to the Midwest League and launched two homers with a career-high seven RBI in his Peoria Chiefs 2019 debut in a 12-5 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits Tuesday night. The Chiefs, playing as the road team in their home park due to flooding in Iowa, improved to 25-31 on the season with two games left in the series.
The River Bandits, playing as the home team, took the lead in the bottom of the first against Chiefs starter Colin Schmid. With the bases loaded, David Hensley singled home the first run of the game and Trey Dawson hit a two-run single to increase their lead to 3-0.
The Chiefs answered immediately in the top of the second against River Bandits starter Jose Bravo. Ivan Herrera led off with a walk and advanced to third on a single by Brady Whalen. Yepez stepped to the plate for the first time in 2019 and launched a game-tying 3-run homer on the first pitch from Bravo. Bryce Denton, also returning to the Chiefs, followed with a double and Brandon Benson walked before both runners moved up on a groundout. Denton scored from third on a Brendan Donovan groundout to put the Chiefs ahead 4-3.
Peoria added to their lead in the top of the third. Nolan Gorman led off with a double and scored on a one-out single from Whalen to increase the lead to 5-3. Yepez launched an even further two-run homer out to center, tying his career-high for homers set on June 11, 2017 against Clinton.
The Chiefs added on in the fourth inning against reliever Joey Gonzalez. Brendan Donovan hit his fourth homerun of the season, to the opposite field, for an 8-3 Chiefs lead on their third homer of the game.
Leading 8-5, the Chiefs put the game away in the seventh and eighth. With one out in the seventh, Herrera walked, Whalen singled, and Yepez walked to load the bases. Denton picked up his first RBI of the season with a single to left for a 9-5 lead and Benson walked to bring home Whalen for a 10-5 Chiefs lead.
Yepez capped off his career day in the eighth against Devin Conn. Donovan led off with a double and the Chiefs loaded the bases with one out as Gorman and Herrera walked. Donovan was forced out at the plate for the second out before Yepez singled home two runs for a 12-5 Chiefs lead. The two RBI gave Yepez a career-high seven on the night, one shy of the Chiefs single-game record.
Schmid (3-1) earned the win as he pitched five innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Thomas St. Clair pitched one inning allowing two runs on one hit with one walk. Edgar Escobar pitched two shutout innings allowing one hit while striking out three. Evan Sisk pitched a scoreless and hitless inning walking one and striking out one.
The Chiefs continue their three-game series with the Quad Cities River Bandits on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. Peoria will start RH Michael Brettell (1-2, 4.44) against Quad Cities RH Jose Rivera (1-2, 10.24). The broadcast can be heard, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:20 p.m. on the Peoria Chiefs Tune-In Page, which is free and also has a free app for smartphones and tablets.
