MWL1 Peoria Chiefs

Chiefs Fall 7-5 Friday Night

Published on April 20, 2012 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release


Peoria, IL - The Peoria Chiefs allowed a pair of home runs and suffered a 7-5 loss Friday night to the Great Lakes Loons at Peoria Chiefs Stadium. The loss, their third in a row, drops the Chiefs to 6-9 on the season heading into the series finale Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Great Lakes used speed to jump out to a first inning lead against Willengton Cruz. James Baldwin III slid head first into first base to beat Cruz for a leadoff infield single. Baldwin stole second and moved to third when Justin Boudreaux flew out to deep center. Baldwin raced home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Joe Winker for a 1-0 Loons lead.

The Loons kept the pressure on Cruz with extra-base hits in the second inning. With one out Jesse Bosnik clobbered a solo home run onto the Pepsi Picnic Plaza for his third homer of the year and a 2-0 Loons lead. With two outs and a runner on first, Cruz balked allowing Devin Shines to move into scoring position. Kevin Taylor doubled down the third-base lane to bring home Shines for a 3-0 Loons lead.

The Chiefs rallied against an erratic Arismendy Ozoria in the bottom of the second. Oliver Zapata reached on a bunt single and Taiwan Easterling laid down a sacrifice bunt. Ozoria fielded the bunt and threw wildly down the first base line allowing Zapata to advance to third while Easterling was safe at second. Marco Hernandez drew a walk to load the bases and Eduardo Gonzalez put the Chiefs on the board with a bases-loaded walk. Brad Zapenas also walked to force home Easterling before Hernandez scored on a fielders' choice to second base. Wes Darvill lined into a double play to first base to end the frame with the game tied 3-3.

After a scoreless third inning the Loons took a 4-3 lead in the fourth on a solo homer to left by Shines. The two-out blast was the second of the season for Shines and the second of the game allowed by Cruz.

Great Lakes extended their lead and knocked Cruz from the contest in the sixth. With one out Noel Cuevas drew a four-pitch walk and stole second. After a strikeout of Shines, Cruz gave up a RBI single to Taylor as the Loons took a 5-3 lead. Bryce Shafer took the mound for Cruz and on his first pitch, Taylor was caught stealing second to end the inning.

The seventh inning started with Baldwin beating out an infield single when he collided with Ryan Cuneo at first. Fortunately both players were ok as was Shafer who took the hard grounder off his right leg. Baldwin stole second before the next two Loons drew walks. Baldwin scored for a 6-3 Great Lakes lead on a fielders' choice off the bat of Scott Schebler.

Baldwin was removed from the game in the next half inning as Shines took over in the outfield meaning the Loons surrendered the designated hitter. With two on and two out in the top of the 8th, reliever Jose Dominguez singled home a run in his first career at-bat for a 7-3 Loons lead.

The Chiefs did not go quietly in the ninth. Eduardo Gonzalez led off with a single to center and Brad Zapenas drew a full-count walk. Pin-Chieh Chen doubled to right as Gonzalez scored to cut the Loons lead to 7-4. Eric Eadington relieved Dominguez and struck out Wes Darvill for the first out of the inning. Rafael Lopez hit a grounder to first that was booted by Winker as Zapenas scored with Chen moving to third and Lopez safe at first. Eadington recovered to strikeout Cuneo looking

Cruz (0-3) allowed five runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. He walked two, struck out four, hit one and surrendered two home runs. Shafer allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits over 2 1/3 innings of work. He walked two and struck out one. Yao-Lin Wang threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a strikeout and has not allowed a run in eight innings this season.

Casey's General Store Player of the Game - Eduardo Gonzalez (LF) - Gonzalez walked twice and started the ninth-inning rally with a single. He recorded a RBI with his bases loaded walk in the second and scored in the ninth while going 1-for-2.

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Midwest League Stories from April 20, 2012


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