MWL1 Peoria Chiefs

Chiefs Win Again to Move into First Place Tie

Published on July 3, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release


Grand Chute, WI - The Peoria Chiefs scored four runs early and held off the late charging Wisconsin Timber Rattlers for a 5-4 win Thursday night to extend their franchise record regular season win streak to 10 games. The Chiefs are now 10-5 on the half and move into a three-way tie for first place in the Western Division. The Chiefs picked up two hits in the top of the first but bounced into a double play and didn't score. After Jay Jackson retired the Rattlers in order in the bottom of the first, Luis Bautista led off the Chiefs second with a line-drive solo homer run to left field. The home run just cleared the wall down the line and gives Bautista six homers on the season, all of them coming since June 15. Still leading 1-0 into the sixth, the Chiefs knocked Rattlers starter Jake Wild from the game with a three-run frame. With one down Marquez Smith drew a walk, and Jovan Rosa doubled down the left-field line. Bautista picked up his third hit of the game as he doubled off the right-field wall to put the Chiefs up 3-0. Joe Kantakevich relieved Wild and Josh Donaldson greeted the righty with a RBI single up the middle for a 4-0 Chiefs lead. Wisconsin got on the board against reliever Craig Muschko in the sixth when Denny Almonte homered off the scoreboard in left-center. Trailing 4-1, Wisconsin continued their comeback in the seventh against Muschko. Maximo Mendez led off with a single and moved to second on an infield single by Alex Meneses. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners up 90 feet, and Edilio Colina made it 4-2 with a RBI groundout. Almonte then struck out, but Meneses scored when the pitch went to the backstop as Almonte safely reached first. Muschko then struck out Alex Liddi to end the frame. Peoria picked up an unearned run in the top of the eighth but left the bases loaded. Rosa reached on an error to start the inning and was sacrificed to second by Bautista. Brandon Guyer reached on an infield single before Justin Souza came out of the bullpen and got Donaldson to fly out. Cliff Andersen was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Rosa scored when Souza committed a balk while pitching to Elvis Lara. Lara then walked to reload the bases but Wisconsin escaped the inning on a diving catch in left by Almonte to rob Jonathan Wyatt of at least two RBI. Wisconsin got the run right back against Chiefs reliever Jake Muyco in their half of the eighth. Joe Dunigan led off with his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to left field to cut the lead to 5-4. Izzy Nunez followed with a single and was sacrificed to second as the tying run. But Muyco buckled down to strike out pinch hitter Brendan O'Donnell and induce an inning ending groundout off the bat of Meneses. Muyco then retired the Rattlers in order in the ninth to nail down his first professional save. In his first MWL start, Jay Jackson allowed just three hits over four shutout innings. The 9th round draft pick last month struck out five and walked one before giving way to the Chiefs bullpen. Muschko (4-2) allowed three runs on six hits while striking out two in his three innings of work. Muyco gave up one run on two hits while striking out two over two innings.

Player of the Game - Luis Bautista (DH) - The Chiefs designated hitter did just that on Thursday night, hit. He got the Chiefs on the board with a solo homer to left in the second and then doubled home two more in the sixth. Bautista also singled in the fourth and laid down his first sacrifice bunt of the season in the eighth.

Notes...The Chiefs overall win streak record is 13 with the 2002 team winning the final six regular season games and the 2003 squad starting the year 7-0...Peoria has won six straight road games for the first time since winning a franchise record nine straight road games from May 27-June 17, 2006...The Chiefs have not trailed in 50 innings and have trailed at the end of just 10 innings of the 94 played during this win streak...Samson now has a team-high 26 multi-hit games...Bautista has a career-high eight game hit streak in which he is 16-for-33 (.485) with three home runs, six doubles and 10 RBI...Rosa has at least one extra base hit in six straight games...Peoria is 27-0 when leading after eight innings...The Chiefs are 15-13 in one run games, including a 4-0 mark during this win streak...Beloit and Cedar Rapids both lost Thursday night and the Chiefs are tied for first with both teams at 10-5...The Chiefs have won three straight series...The four-game series concludes on Friday at 7:05 pm as the Chiefs send RH Audy Santana (0-4, 3.35) to the hill against Wisconsin LH Edwards Parades (4-8, 4.60)...The game can be heard live beginning with the pre-game show at 6:50 pm online at www.peoriachiefs.com or on WOAM 1350 AM.

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Midwest League Stories from July 3, 2008


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