MWL1 Peoria Chiefs

Chiefs Rally for 10-9 Tuesday Win

Published on August 31, 2010 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release


Peoria, IL -The Peoria Chiefs closed out their final home game of the regular season with a dramatic 10-9 walk-off win in the 10th inning against the Clinton LumberKings on Tuesday. The win improves the Chiefs to 31-31 on the second half of the season and 69-62 overall as they make a playoff push in the final weeks of the season. With six games remaining the Chiefs are five games behind the LumberKings and two and a half games behind Kane County for the Wild Card.

Trailing 9-4 entering the ninth the Chiefs mounted a comeback off relievers Fray Martinez, Brandon Josselyn, and Stephen Pryor. With Martinez pitching Luis Flores walked and advanced to third on an Anthony Giansanti double. Clinton brought in Josselyn to try and shut down the rally, but he allowed a double to Hak-Ju Lee, scoring both runners. Logan Watkins singled and Matt Cerda was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs before the LumberKings brought in Pryor. Justin Bour popped out to third on an infield fly for the first out before Jae-Hoon Ha struck out swinging. DJ Fitzgerald walked to score Lee and keep the bases loaded for Nelson Perez, who singled to score Watkins and Cerda to tie the game at 9-9. Flores struck out to end the inning and send the game to extras.

With the score still tied entering the bottom of the ninth the Chiefs found a way to come away with a walk-off win. Lee walked and advanced to third on a Watkins single. With two outs and runners on he corners Bour hit a shot to right center to bring home Lee for the 10-9 victory.

The LumberKings jumped out to an early lead, scoring a run in the first off starter Frank Batista. With one out and no one on base Postseason All-Star Nick Franklin hit an opposite-field home run to left field for an early 1-0 Clinton lead.

The Chiefs came back to tie the game in the bottom of the first off starter Erasmo Ramirez. Cerda drew his team-leading 66th walk and came around to score on a Bour single that was misplayed in the outfield for an error by James Jones to tie the game at 1-1.

Clinton pulled ahead again in the top of the second. Matt Cerione hit a solo home run to right field to put the LumberKings back on top. Gabriel Noriega followed with a double before Jones homered to left center for a 4-1 LumberKings lead.

The Chiefs cut into the lead in the bottom of the second with a home run of their own. Perez led off and hit a fly ball that kept carrying and caromed off the fencing above the home run line in left field to make it a 4-2 game.

The ball continued to fly out of the park for the LumberKings in the third inning. With two outs and the bases empty Tim Morris walked and advanced to second on a Blake Ochoa walk. Mario Martinez crushed a pitch over the berm in left to extend the Clinton lead to 7-2.

The Chiefs got a run back in the bottom of the fourth. Ha hit a deep fly ball that bounced off the wall in left and over the fence for a ground-rule double. Ha advanced to third on a Perez groundout and scored on a Flores single that just landed in front of a diving Vince Catricala in left to make it 7-3.

Peoria added another run in the bottom of the fifth, still facing Ramirez. Watkins walked and advanced to third on a Bour single. Ha singled for his third hit of the game to bring home Watkins and cut the LumberKings lead to 7-4.

The LumberKings got that run back in the top of the sixth off reliever Ronny Morla. Cerione doubled and advanced to third on a groundout to second off the bat of Noriega. With the infield drawn in Jones hit a grounder off Morla to Watkins, but his only play was to first, allowing Cerione to score to make it 8-4 before the Chiefs' comeback.

Clinton added to their lead in the seventh off Morla and Corey Martin. With Morla on the mound Cerione singled and the Chiefs brought in Martin. Cerione stole second and advanced to third on a Jones groundout. Franklin singled to right to score Cerione and make it 9-4 LumberKings.

Batista went four and 1/3 innings and gave up seven runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out three. Morla pitched three innings and surrendered two runs on four hits and a strikeout. Martin (4-2) pitched the final two and 2/3 innings and did not allow a run on one hit and two strikeouts.

Casey's General Store Player of the Game: Justin Bour (1B)- Bour went 4-for-6 with his 30th double of the season and hit the game-winning single in the bottom of the tenth inning.

Notes Perez hit his ninth career home run at O'Brien Field, tied with Ryan Flaherty and Daric Barton for fifth all-timePerez is now 13th on the Chiefs career home run list with 21 and 10th on the career RBI list with 110Bour became the 29th player in franchise history with 30 doubles in a season With four hits Bour now leads the team with 38 multi-hit games after entering the day tied with Lee at 37Every Chiefs starter reached base safely at least onceBatista gave up a career high seven earned runsFour home runs allowed by the Chiefs ties the season high, they also gave up four against Clinton on May 11 in game two of a doubleheaderBatista is the first Chiefs pitcher to allow four home runs in one game since Zach Ashwood gave up four in a 12-4 loss at Clinton on May 11, 2008Batista leads the team in home runs allowed with 13The five-run deficit is the largest overcome by the Chiefs this seasonThe Chiefs are now 22-46 when their opponents score firstThe Chiefs are now 23-45 when their opponents score firstThe Chiefs won the series three games to two and now hold a 21-19-2 series record, 14-7-1 at homeThe Chiefs are now 18-24 in the final game of the series and 10-12 at homeThe win is the 28th comeback win for the ChiefsThe win was the first for the Chiefs when trailing entering the ninthThe Chiefs have now won 12 games in their last at-batThe Chiefs are now 21-15 in one-run gamesThe Chiefs are 4-5 in extra inningsThe Chiefs start a three-game series at Kane County on Wednesday at 6:30 p.mThe Chiefs will pitch rehabbing Cubs starter RH Carlos Silva (0-0, 0.00) and RH Robinson Lopez (1-0, 0.00) against Kane County RH Murphy Smith (7-2, 3.93)The broadcast can be heard starting with the pregame show at 6:15 p.m. on 96.5 ESPN and www.peoriachiefs.com

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Midwest League Stories from August 31, 2010


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