Peoria Claims Series with Two Wins Friday Night

PEORIA, IL - The Cubs came out firing to begin the day with a four spot in the first inning, but the Chiefs answered the call, coming back to win game one of the day, 9-6, and that smacking the Cubs 9-2 to cap the night. With both wins Peoria clinched the series, having won the first four games.

Thursday’s game resumed on Friday night with one out, a runner at first, and the Cubs trailing 3-0. Well that first batter was Felix Stevens, who wasted no time getting the Cubs back in the game, blast an opposite field homer to right. Two walks and a single then loaded the bases and with two down Ed Howard picked up his second hit of the game, a single up the middle to score two and put the Cubs ahead for the first time in the series.

The home team responded against Cubs reliever Aaron Perry. With two down and no one aboard, Alex Iadisernia blooped a double down the line in left and scored on a Dakota Harris single to center.

With the game tied 4-4, Leonardo Bernal vaulted the Chiefs into the lead for good on a mammoth shot to right in the sixth. Another solo homer followed the next inning from Dakota Harris. Peoria’s two out magic continued in the seventh with Zach Levenson and Won-Bin Cho tallying back-to-back run-scoring hits to make it 8-4.

South Bend made things interesting in the eighth agains a trio of Chiefs pitchers. Zane Mills began the frame, his third inning of work, but didn’t record an out. Felix Stevens doubled to the wall in left and Jonathon Long walked to give the Cubs some hope. Then the hard throwing lefty Nathaniel Heredia entered. He induced a grounder back to the mound and then a sac-fly. With the Cubs trailing by three, Heredia lost the strike zone and walked three straight. Bateman’s free pass came with the bags loaded and made it 8-6. Patrick Anderson went back out and replaced Heredia with Osvaldo Berrios who hadn’t been warming up long. He struck out Rafael Morel to end the threat.

Peoria scored a key insurance run in the eighth. Chris Rotondo was hit by an Angel Gonzalez fastball with one gone, and then stole second. He scored on yet another two-out hit, this a single from Dakota Harris.

Stevens and Cahvers both singled in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate by Brian Kalmer struck out to end the game.

The game that followed started about as poorly as it could. Drew Gray walked the first five batters he faced, then struck out Joshua Baez, only to walk Tre Richardson and see his night end after 37 pitches and only one out recorded. Mitchell Tyranski came in and got a strike out of Michael Curialle but then walked in another run. At this point in the first inning Peoria had batted around, all nine guys had come up, seven had reached base, and the ball had not been put in play. It was truly a unique frame, which ended obscurely too with Levenson breaking his bat and popping up back to the pitcher.

South Bend needed 55 pitches to get the first three outs of the game and the Chiefs sent 10 the plate, scoring four runs, without the need for a hit.

Well Peoria just kept coming. In the second they hit two no-doubter to left, both solo shots, one from Darlin Moquete and the other from Dakota Harris. Harris’ capped an incredible start to the day in which he began Friday 4-for-4 with two homers, and five RBIs.

Tyanski didn’t finish the second frame and Nick Hall replaced him. Peoria loaded the bases in his first full inning and score two more runs to make it 8-0. Moquete’s speed brought home a run as the speedy DH evaded the double play beating out a relay to first. That kept the inning alive for Brody Moore who singled in Curialle.

The fourth inning finally looked like it was going nowhere for the Chiefs offensively as Harris flew out to right and then Baez grounded out softly to second. But Baez on the swing hit Ethan Hearn’s glove and reached on the catcher’s interference. He moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Tre Richardson single.

Meanwhile on the other side of things, Hancel Rincon was unbelievably good, the third brilliant start in four games the Chiefs have seen. He went six innings allowing just two hits, no runs, one walk, and seven strikeouts. He struck out the last batter of the sixth on his 92nd pitch of the evening.

South Bend got their two runs in the ninth off reliever Roy Garcia. Chavers doubled to lead things off and Jordan Nwogu singled to move him to third. Two ground balls brought them home and gave us the 9-2 final.