Chiefs Snap Five-Game Losing Skid Behind Marvelous Effort from Mills
July 15, 2022 - Midwest League (MWL)
Peoria Chiefs News Release
PEORIA, IL - Peoria starter Zane Mills tied the longest outing of his career Friday and helped the Chiefs snap a five-game losing skid in a 5-3 win over the South Bend Cubs at Dozer Park.
For the fourth night in a row, things started quickly for the road side. South Bend continued their first inning barrage by immediately going up 2-0 off a home run from Yohendrick Pinango. The long ball increased South Bend's total first inning tally to 13 runs through four games this week.
In the Chiefs half of the third, Peoria broke through. Tommy Jew led the inning off with a free pass to set the table for Todd Lott. A sharply hit liner that found a patch of outfield grass allowed Jew to scamper home all the way from first and slice the deficit in half at 2-1.
With the game well within reach, Mills settled into a groove, hanging four consecutive zeros until he received a boost from the bats in the middle innings. With the Chiefs at the plate in the bottom of the fifth, Brady Whalen began the rally with a hustle double into short right center. Then, LJ Jones stepped in and demolished his eighth homer of the campaign to put Peoria in the lead, 3-2.
Mills exited after seven innings of two-run baseball, while fanning four and generating a bunch of soft contact in what was perhaps his best outing in the Chiefs uniform this season. Andre Granillo entered out of the bullpen in the eighth and came out unscathed as he racked up three strikeouts in the inning.
The Chiefs then added a pair of crucial insurance runs in the bottom of the frame. Osvaldo Tovalin came to bat with the bases loaded, looking to finally cash in on the chance Peoria had already spoiled twice earlier in the ballgame. Tovalin indeed delivered, slapping an opposite field knock into left that scored a couple and pushed the Chiefs in front by three runs.
Leading 5-2 and trying to hang on, Granillo returned to the bump to begin the ninth. South Bend made things interesting when Fabian Pertuz nearly cleared the left field wall for a lead-off home run, but Tyler Reichenborn was there to scale the wall and haul it back in for the first out. Later, with two on and two out, Casey Opitz ripped a base hit to score a run and cut the Chiefs lead down to 5-3. With tensions rising, Peoria called upon Levi Prater to try and record his first save of the season and chalk up the final out against Jonathan Sierra, which he did so by striking him out to put the cap on a Peoria victory.
The series continues Saturday at Dozer Park. Wilfredo Pereira will take the ball for the Chiefs. Fellow right-hander Daniel Palencia is the scheduled starter for South Bend. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. A fireworks show will follow the game.
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