Chiefs Walk Their Way to Dramatic 7-6 Win
July 24, 2009 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release
Peoria, IL - Making his first plate appearance of the ballgame, Jose Made didn't even have to take the bat off his shoulders to drive in the game-winning run, walking on four straight pitches with the bases loaded in the ninth to force in Ryan Flaherty as the Peoria Chiefs won a see-saw battle over the Lansing Lugnuts 7-6 Friday night at O'Brien Field. Rebel Ridling was the hero offensively on Friday, driving in a season-high four.
The Chiefs took the lead in the first. With one away, Flaherty walked to bring up Ridling. The Chiefs first baseman blasted his 10th homer of the season, a line-shot into the berm in left to give the Chiefs a 2-0 lead.
Lansing answered back with one in the third off starter Chris Archer. Luis Fernandez, getting into the Lansing lineup for the first time this series, doubled to lead off the frame. With Kenny Wilson at the plate, Archer delivered a wild pitch and catcher Michael Brenly couldn't locate the ball, allowing Fernandez to score all the way from second on the play to make it a 2-1 ballgame. Peoria regained a two-run lead in the third. With one away, Flaherty lifted a homer to the opposite field to left, his 12th homer of the year, to give the Chiefs a 3-1 advantage.
The two teams exchanged runs in the fifth. Tyler Pastornicky doubled home Wilson to plate Lansing's second run, but Ridling got that run back for the Chiefs on a RBI single to right scoring David Macias to make it 4-2.
The Lugnuts overtook the Chiefs temporarily with a four-spot in the top of the sixth. Mike McDade, who doubled to lead off the inning, came around to score on Balbino Fuenmayor's RBI double for Lansing's first run of the frame. After Fernandez reached on an error by third baseman Jovan Rosa, Wilson split the alley in right-center field for a two-run triple, which gave the Lugnuts their first lead of the ballgame at 5-4. Lansing capped the four-run sixth on a Chris Emanuele run-scoring single to make it 6-4.
The Chiefs used some clutch, two-out hitting to tie the game in their half of the seventh. With one away, Junior Lake singled on a solid liner to left. After a Macias strikeout, Flaherty walked on five pitches with Lake advancing to second. Ridling came up and delivered a RBI single to right, his fourth run driven-in of the night, as Lake scored and Flaherty moved to third. Reliever Frank Gailey came on in relief of Dustin Antolin. Gailey, a southpaw, had limited left-handed hitters to a .119 batting average coming into action Friday. He faced the left-handed hitting Kyler Burke who came to the plate and smacked a single to left, scoring Flaherty easily to knot the game up at six.
In the bottom of the ninth, Macias flew out to start the inning off reliever Matt Daly. Flaherty singled through the hole on the right side before Ridling struck out looking. Flaherty moved to second on a wild pitch with Burke at the plate, with Burke later walking intentionally to put runners on first and second. Brenly came up and hit a one hopper towards short. The shortstop Pastornicky gloved it and tried to get the force out at second base, but Burke slid in safely to load the bases for Made. Made, who came in to pinch-run for Rosa in the eighth, took four straight balls from Daly to end the ballgame.
Archer lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on four hits, walking four and striking out two. Alberto Cabrera came on in relief and went just two-thirds of a frame. The right-handed reliever surrendered four runs, three earned, on four hits while walking one. Ryan Buchter was stellar out of the pen. The southpaw fired 2 2/3 scoreless innings and allowed just one hit and struck out three while retiring the first seven batters he faced. Chris Huseby (2-5) came on to pick up the win, firing a 1-2-3 top half of the ninth.
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