Chiefs Season Over After 9-8 Heartbreaking Loss to Kernels
September 10, 2009 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release
Chiefs Season Over After 9-8 Heartbreaking Loss to Kernels
Peoria allows two in ninth, get swept out of playoffs
Cedar Rapids, IA - Everything that led to the Peoria Chiefs record-setting second half of the regular season completely vanished in the post-season, as the Chiefs were swept out of the playoffs after a 9-8 gut-wrenching loss to the Cedar Rapids Kernels Thursday night in Iowa. Peoria led 8-7 heading into the final frame, but ultimately gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth to lose it, their first loss when leading after eight innings since July 2006.
Closer Chris Huseby, who had walked just 10 batters in 54 innings during the regular season, issued consecutive, four-pitch free passes to Roberto Lopez and Gabe Jacobo. Mike Trout and Dwayne Bailey replaced Lopez and Jacobo on the bases, respectively. After Beau Brooks fouled out, Angel Castillo struck out swinging to get the Chiefs within one out of extending their season. With Darwin Perez at the plate, Huseby delivered a wild pitch to advance both runners 90 feet. The Chiefs closer then walked Perez and then Jon Townsend to force in a run to tie the game at eighth. With the bases still loaded, Huseby hit the batter Matt Crawford to bring home Bailey to end Peoria's 2009 season.
The Chiefs came out swinging in the top of the first against Tyler Chatwood. Jose Valdez reached on an infield single, stole second with one out but was then caught trying to steal third. Rebel Ridling started a two-out rally with an opposite-field single and Kyler Burke followed with a double down the right-field line. D.J. LeMahieu put the Chiefs up 2-0 with a single to right and he was awarded second base on a fielders' interference error on shortstop Darwin Perez during a rundown after Burke scored. Jovan Rosa, who's homer tied Wednesday's game one in the bottom of the ninth, put the Chiefs up 3-0 with a double to left.
The offense put up another run in the second but let Chatwood off the hook. Michael Brenly started with a double to left and he scored on a double by Junior Lake to left-center. Valdez sacrificed Lake to third and Ryan Flaherty walked to put runners on the corners. But Chatwood got Ridling to bounce into an inning-ending double play to leave Lake at third.
Cedar Rapids got on the board against Jeffry Antigua in the second and then cut the deficit to one in the fourth. Castillo launched a towering solo home run off Antigua in the second with one out for the Kernels first run. In the fourth, Jacobo led off with a double and scored on a one-out single by Castillo. Darwin Perez singled and after a strikeout, Matt Crawford made it 4-3 with a RBI single to left before Antigua escaped the inning.
Peoria answered immediately against Chatwood in the top fifth to take a 5-3 lead. Ridling led off with a single and moved to second on a groundout by Burke. After a lineout by LeMahieu, Rosa made it 5-3 with his second double of the game to easily plate Ridling.
The Chiefs knocked Chatwood from the game and created distance in the seventh. Flaherty drew a leadoff walk and Ridling singled up the middle. With one down, LeMahieu drew a walk to load the bases before Mike Rocco relieved Chatwood. Rosa delivered again with a two-run single to left to put the Chiefs up 7-3. After Perez flew out, Brenly made it 8-2 with a single up the middle and both he and Rosa moved up a base on the throw home.
But the Kernels bounced right back and narrowed the gap to one in the bottom of the seventh against the Chiefs bullpen. Aaron Shafer relieved Antigua in the sixth and after retiring the first two in the seventh he gave up back-to-back singles to Lopez and Jacobo. Brooks hit a one-hopper off Shafer's leg that bounced back toward the plate. Shafer picked it up and threw high and wide down the right-field line as both runners scored to cut the Chiefs lead to 8-5. Manolin DeLeon came in to replace Shafer and promptly allowed a RBI single to Perez and later in the frame, delivered a wild pitch to score Angel Castillo to cut the lead to 8-7.
Antigua went five innings and gave up three runs on nine hits while walking none and striking out two. Shafer lasted 1 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on four hits, and DeLeon fired 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Huseby walked four, hit a batter and struck out one in his 2/3s of an inning.
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