Chiefs Win 6-1 Wednesday
August 3, 2016 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release
Peoria, IL - The Peoria Chiefs scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back in a 6-1 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits Wednesday night. The win moves the Chiefs back to .500 in the second half at 19-19 and they are 59-49 overall on the season.
Newcomer Ronnie Williams took the mound for the Chiefs and stranded two River Bandits in the top of the first with a strikeout to end the inning. Magneuris Sierra led off the bottom of the inning with a single and Jose Martinez followed with a single. Matt Bower induced a double play before Chris Chinea singled home Sierra for a 1-0 Chiefs lead. Leo Pina singled to left and the River Bandits shifted their defense dramatically for lefty RJ Dennard. The Chiefs first baseman fouled off two pitches with two strikes before depositing a three-run home run into the left-field berm for an opposite filed homer and a 4-0 lead.
The Chiefs still led 4-0 into the fifth when they used the long ball again to extend the lead. Martinez walked and Brian O'Keefe hit a laser shot over the berm and into the Left Field Landing for a 6-0 Chiefs lead. O'Keefe has three homers in his last four games and nine on the season to lead the Chiefs.
Williams got the first two outs of the seventh inning before giving up a single to Kristian Trompiz. Josh Wirsu took over on the mound and Ryne Birk's double to the gate in right-center ended the shutout with the Chiefs lead cut to 6-1. Wirsu retired Kyle Tucker to end the inning and Quad Cities didn't threaten the rest of the way.
Williams (1-0) allowed one run on five hits and one walk over 6 2/3 innings while striking out seven to earn the win. Wirsu allowed one hit and struck out two over 1 1/3 shutout innings. Tyler Bray struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth.
Notes The Chiefs have homered in four straight games for the first time all-seasonAfter hitting just 16 homers in the first half, the Chiefs have 10 homers in the last eight games and 19 since the All-Star BreakThe Chiefs have hit more than one home run in a game four times this season, all since July 3 and three times in the last eight gamesThree of Dennard's five home runs have come against Quad CitiesThe Chiefs have nine homers against the River Bandits, more than any other teamWilliams is the 10th Chiefs starter out of 11 to throw a quality start this seasonThe Chiefs have 49 totalPeoria is 36-5-1 when scoring five runs or morePeoria has scored five runs or more in six of the last eight gamesThe Chiefs hit into two more double plays Wednesday and have hit into 86 on the season, second most in the MWLO'Keefe is tied for 12th on the Chiefs career list with 17 double plays grounded intoSierra is tied for the MWL with 13 times caught stealingGame two of the series is Thursday at 7:00 p.m. as the Chiefs send RHP Derian Gonzalez (5-0, 2.45) to the mound against Quad Cities RH Elieser Hernandez (4-3, 2.76)The game is a rematch of last Friday's pitching matchup, a game the Chiefs won 10-4Thursday is a Miller Lite Thirsty Thursday with $2.00 16 ounce domestic draft beers and fountain sodasThe broadcast can be heard, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:45 p.m. on www.peoriachiefs.com/listenlive which also has downloads for a free app on the iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and AndroidThe broadcast is also available on the Peoria Chiefs Network in the Tune-In Radio App.
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