Peoria Bats Quieted in 4-1 Defeat

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA– The Peoria Chiefs couldn’t muster up enough offense Thursday in a 4-1 loss to the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

Peoria’s best opportunity came in the game’s opening inning. Zach Levenson and Alex Iadisernia led off the game with a single and a walk respectively to start the night. With one out in the inning, Leonardo Bernal stepped in with Levenson at third and Iadisernia aboard at second. Bernal offered at the first pitch and fouled out to first base. On the next pitch, Anyelo Encarnacion fouled out on a pop out to first base, spoiling the Chiefs opportunity for a crooked number in the first.

Cade Winquest took the ball for Peoria Thursday, making just his second start of the year. The right-hander started his night with a pair of scoreless frames before surrendering a run in the third. After consecutive walks to start the inning, a stolen base put men at the corners with one out. Kernels infielder Rubel Cespedes legged out a fielder’s choice to earn an RBI and a 1-0 lead. Winquest settled in and did not allow a run the rest of the way. He surrendered just three hits over five innings.

After being on the ropes in the first, Kernels starter Miguelangel Boadas settled in. In what was his first start of the year, Boadas allowed just one baserunner over the next three innings and punched out the side in the fourth.

In the fifth, Peoria broke through to get on the board. Brody Moore turned a walk into a stolen base and an advancement to third base on a wild pitch. After striking out Carlos Linarez, Boadas exited with two outs in the inning in favor of Gabriel Yanez. The left-hander could not strand the inherited runner as Levenson lined a single into left field to plate Moore and knot the score, 1-1. Levenson finished with two more hits Thursday. He has driven in a run in all three games of the series.

With the score still tied, Benito Garcia entered in the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out in the frame, Jose Salas greeted Garcia with a towering home run over the wall in right to give the Kernels a 2-1 advantage. Then, the next two Cedar Rapids batters doubled to push the lead to 3-1.

In the seventh, the Kernels played add on. Ricardo Olivar led off the inning with an opposite-field blast off of Garcia, as he kept the ball just inside the right field foul pole to extend the lead to 4-1.

Peoria put the lead-off man on base in the ninth but never brought the tying run to the plate. Jacob Wosinski locked down the final six outs to earn a save. Yanez was the game’s winner after 2 ⅓ scoreless innings.

The series continues Friday in Cedar Rapids.