Peoria, IL - The Peoria Chiefs did not look back after a grand slam by Juan Yepez in the bottom of the third inning in a 6-5 win against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Friday night. The win boosts the Chiefs to 2-5 on the season with the second game
Peoria, IL - The Peoria Chiefs did not look back after a grand slam by Juan Yepez in the bottom of the third inning in a 6-5 win against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Friday night. The win boosts the Chiefs to 2-5 on the season with the second game of a three -game series against the Timber Rattlers scheduled for Saturday night
The Timber Rattlers scored first in the top of the first against Chiefs starter Johan Oviedo. Zach Clark led off the game with a triple and Joantgel Segovia brought him home on a single to right putting Wisconsin up 1-0. After Tristen Lutz flew out to left, Pat McInerney walked putting runners at first and second. Demi Oremoloye singled to left scoring Segovia giving the Timber Rattlers a 2-0 lead.
Peoria answered in the bottom of the second inning against the Timber Rattlers starting pitcher Nelson Hernandez. Yepez and Dylan Carlson collected back-to-back singles with one out. Bryce Denton singled to center scoring Yepez to cut the Rattlers lead to 2-1 but the Chiefs left two runners on base.
Wisconsin added to their lead in the top of the third against Oviedo. Segovia drew a leadoff walk then Oviedo struck out Tristen Lutz looking. Pat McInerney lifted a high fly ball to center than Jonatan Machado lost in the lights and the ball fell for a RBI triple. Orimoloye drove in McInerney on a sacrifice fly to left field extending the Wisconsin lead to 4-1.
The Chiefs flipped the script in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Lopez was hit by a pitch, Yariel Gonzalez punched a single up the middle and Montero singled to load the bases. Yepez crushed the first pitch he saw into the left-field berm for the Chiefs first grand slam of 2018 and a 5-4 lead.
The Chiefs widened their lead in the bottom of the fourth. Dennis Ortega drew a leadoff walk and newcomer Edwin Figuera singled. Gonzalez drew a two out walk to load the bases. Montero was hit by a pitch scoring Ortega to put the Chiefs up 6-4.
The game stayed 6-4 into the ninth as Zach Prendergast and Cory Malcom kept the Rattlers off the board. Wisconsin cut the lead to one in the ninth as Clark homered down the left-field line with one out. But Malcom preserved the win with a strikeout and a flyout for the 6-5 win.
Oviedo received a no-decision in the start going 4 2/3 innings allowing four runs on six hits, two walks and four strikeouts. Prendergast (1-0) earned the win, pitching two shutout innings with three hits, no walks and two strikeouts. Malcom picked up the save, his first, as he allowed one run on two hits over 2 1/3 innings while striking out four.
Notes…Yepez has a hit in all of his six starts this season…Gonzalez has a six-game hit streak…Yepez hit the first Chiefs grand slam since August 19 of last season…After six starts last year at Johnson City, Zach Prendergast made his Chiefs debut, and his first career relief outing in the Cardinals system…Malcom had two saves last year for the GCL Cardinals…Carlson has three straight multi-hit games…Edwin Figuera hit two singles in his Chiefs debut…The win snaps a five-game losing streak…Ortega has picked off two base runners this season…The series continues Saturday at 6:30 p.m. with a Signature Saturday…The Chiefs will start RH Evan Guillory (0-1, 1.80 against Wisconsin Timber Rattlers RH (0-0, 3.00)…The broadcast can be heard, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:15 p.m. on www.peoriachiefs.com/listenlive and is also available on the Peoria Chiefs Network in the Tune-In Radio App…The game is also available on MiLB.tv for subscribers.
