Chiefs Fall 7-6 Friday
July 10, 2009 - Midwest League (MWL1) - Peoria Chiefs News Release
Peoria, IL - Down 7-1 early, the Peoria Chiefs mounted a furious comeback attempt, scoring five runs over the fourth and fifth innings to creep within one. However, the offense hit a snag the rest of the way as the Chiefs dropped the game and the series to the Great Lakes Loons with a 7-6 loss Friday night at O'Brien Field.
Great Lakes took a 1-0 lead before either team had a chance to blink. Leadoff man Dee Gordon tripled over the head of David Macias in straightaway centerfield and scored on a wild pitch on the very first pitch Jaime Pedroza to make it 1-0.
The Chiefs got the run back in the bottom of the first courtesy of their leadoff man. Macias came up and drove a 1-1 Jon Michael Redding offering over the wall in right and into the Pepsi Picnic Plaza at O'Brien Field for his first career home run to tie the game at one.
The Loons took advantage of some spotty Chiefs defense to take the lead in the second. With one out and Anthony Hatch on first, Rebel Ridling let a grounder get past him allowing runners to stabilize at the corners. After a Parker Dalton strikeout, Dee Gordon hit a one-hopper to Junior Lake at short who could not field it cleanly allowing Hatch to score and give the Loons a 2-1 lead.
Great Lakes padded their lead in the third off starter Marcus Hatley. Kyle Russell singled to left with one away bringing up Alfredo Silverio. Silvero hit a fly ball to left that seemed to be routine, but the left fielder Drew Rundle and the shortstop Lake collided in shallow left, allowing the ball to drop in for a single. Nick Buss came up and launched a double down the right field line plating Russell. The Loons added another run in the frame on a Hatch sacrifice fly to center, scoring Silverio to give Great Lakes a 4-1 advantage.
The Loons powered their way to a 7-1 lead in the fourth. Kyle Russell, who homered in game one of the series, towered one to right out of O'Brien Field entirely and onto the street for a two-run shot to make it 6-1. Silverio came up next and also hit his second homer of the series with a blast chasing Hatley from the game as the Loons grabbed their biggest lead of the contest at 7-1. The Chiefs tallied one of those runs back in their half of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Michael Brenly delivered a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left to score Ryan Flaherty to make it 7-2.
With the score 7-2 in the top of the fifth, a controversial call went the Chiefs way to keep the deficit at five. Hatch hit a ball high off the wall in left and thought it cleared fence for a home run. However, it was ruled as in the park and Hatch was thrown out at third on play while in his home run trot around the bases. Great Lakes manager Juan Bustabad came out to vehemently argue the call, but the call withstood and Bustabad was promptly ejected from the ballgame.
Peoria got right back into the thick of things in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and the bases empty, Macias and Ryan Flaherty singled to left. After a Ridling walk to load the bases, Kyler Burke continued his torrid hitting pace with a moonshot grand slam to right center to get the Chiefs within the slimmest of margins at 7-6.
The Chiefs had chances to tie or overtake the Loons both in the eighth and ninth innings. Ridling was on third base with only one out in the eighth, but Jovan Rosa grounded out to first with Ridling holding at third, and Brenly flew out to right to end the threat. Junior Lake led off the ninth inning with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Lake stole third base with only one out and D.J. Fitzgerald at the plate but the Chiefs designated hitter struck out swinging for the second out of the inning. Macias came to the plate and lifted a routine fly ball to right-center flagged down by the center fielder Buss to end the ballgame.
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