Chiefs Slug Rattlers 12-2

PEORIA, IL – The Peoria Chiefs scored seven runs in the first two innings of Saturday night’s game against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Dozer Park and cruised to a 12-2 victory. Peoria has won four of the first five games in this series.

Click here for the boxscore of this game

The Chiefs (11-9) took control of the game in the bottom of the first inning with five runs. Matt Chamberlain singled to center with Jacob Buchberger at first and Mike Antico at second. Antico scored and when the throw came home late, Buchberger to third and Chamberlain went to second.

Wisconsin starting pitcher Justin Jarvis got Mack Chambers to send a grounder to Ethan Murray at third base and Murray through home in time to get Buchberger at the plate. However, the ball popped out of catcher Wes Clarke’s mitt as he applied the tag. Buchberger was safe and Chamberlain scored as the ball rolled towards the Peoria on deck circle.

Aaron Antonini made the score 5-0 with a two-run home run.

Peoria added two more runs in the bottom of the second. Buchberger singled in two runs for a 7-0 lead.

The Timber Rattlers (12-8) got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth. Zavier Warren doubled with two outs. Carlos Rodríguez followed with a single to right and Warren scored.

The Chiefs pounced a Timber Rattlers miscue to score four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to extend their lead to 11-1. There were runners on first and second with one out. Chambers hit a grounder to Yeison Coca at second base. Coca flipped the ball wide of shortstop Antonio Piñero and by the time the ball was collected a run had scored and Peoria had runners on second and third. Antonini drove in the next run with a sacrifice fly. A wild pitch allowed Chambers to score. Later in the inning Carlos Soto had an RBI single.

The teams traded home runs in their final at bats of the night. Antico cracked a long homer to right-center in the bottom of the eighth. Murray crushed the first pitch of the top of the ninth for a homer. Both Antico and Murray have homered in two straight games.

The Timber Rattlers defense was charged with four errors in the game and six of Peoria’s twelve runs in the game were unearned.

The series finale is Sunday afternoon at Dozer Park. Russel Smith (0-1, 6.55) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Peoria plans to send Michael McGreevy (1-0, 0.76) to the mound. Game time is 1:35pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM and internet audio starting with the pregame show at 1:15pm.