Saladin Whiffs Eight, Wins High-A Debut Thursday

PEORIA, IL – Darlin Saladin shook off some early jitters and punched out eight Quad Cities batters on Thursday in an 8-3 win over the River Bandits in front of 3,404 fans at Dozer Park.

Saladin surrendered a run in a first inning that included a balk and a pitch clock violation. A Trevor Werner two-out single gave Quad Cities an early 1-0 cushion.

In the home half, Brody Moore led off the frame with a double to left. Won-Bin Cho put down a sacrifice bunt and a throwing error from catcher Carter Jensen brought Moore home to tie the game.

From there, Saladin settled in and took over. The 21-year-old allowed just three hits over five innings of work. Saladin retired 11 of his final 12 batters faced. His eight strikeouts were one off a career high.

In the bottom of the second, Peoria took a 3-1 lead and never looked back. Darlin Moquete singled to start the inning and Michael Curialle blasted a two-run home run to left field.

The Chiefs put up three more runs in the sixth inning to create some distance. Leonardo Bernal singled and advanced to third on a wild pitch and a throwing error. A Chris Rotondo RBI single plated Bernal to make it 4-1. Rotondo extended his on-base streak to 17 games on Thursday. Later in the inning, Moquete hit his fourth homer of the year to make the score 6-1.

Peoria reliever Nathanel Heredia pitched two scoreless frames with no hits allowed and only one walk. The left-hander fanned three to lower his ERA to 1.29.

Following a scoreless seventh inning, the River Bandits attempted a comeback in the eighth. Carson Roccaforte doubled home a run and a wild pitch from Gustavo Rodriguez made it 6-3. With the tying run at the plate, Osvaldo Berrios recorded a lineout to end the inning.

The Chiefs responded in the bottom half of the eighth with two runs of their own. Moquete and William Sullivan both walked and advanced on a wild pitch. A fielding error from Werner brought home Moquete and Sullivan to make the score 8-3. Berrios closed out the game in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.

Bernal recorded three singles while Moore, Moquete and Curialle all tallied two hits. Moquete came across to score three times to match his season high.

The Chiefs will look for their third win of the series on Friday night against the Bandits. Right-hander Hancel Rincon will take the ball for Peoria. He has a 2.83 ERA at Dozer Park this season. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.