MWL1 Peoria Chiefs

Chiefs Win Over Lugnuts

Published on May 6, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release


Lansing, MI - The Peoria Chiefs scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back in an 8-6 win over the Lansing Lugnuts Wednesday morning. The Chiefs collected 15 hits for the second straight game and are now 14-11 on the season.

The early start time didn't effect the Chiefs bats as they came out swining against Lansing starter Ryan Koch. Josh Harrison led off with a single to extend his hitting streak to a MWL-best 15 games. Ryan Flaherty put the Chiefs on top with a double down the right-field line that easily scored Harrison. Rebel Ridling followed with an infield single that advanced Flaherty to third and Kyler Burke made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to left. Josh Vitters doubled off the left-field wall and Nelson Perez made it 3-0 with a sac fly to right. Mario Mercedes singled home Vitters for a 4-0 Chiefs lead as his flare to right dropped between three Lugnuts fielders.

Chiefs starter Marcus Hatley struck out the side in the bottom of the first and the Chiefs bats continued to hit Koch hard in the second. Junior Lake led off with a solo homer to left for his first home run of the season and a 5-0 Chiefs lead. With one down Flaherty doubled for the second time in as many at-bats and scored on a single by Ridling for a 6-0 Chiefs lead. Lansing got back in the game in the bottom of the third with four runs against Hatley. AJ Jimenez started the frame with a walk before Hatley recorded two outs. Kevin Wilson slugged his first professional homer out to center for the first two Lansing runs. Tyler Pastornicky doubled down the right-field line and advanced to third when Perez kicked the ball for an error. Mark Sobolewski drilled the second two-run homer of the inning and cut the Chiefs lead to 6-4. Yohermyn Chavez reached on a double to right and advanced to third on another error by Perez. But Hatley retired Justin McClanahan on a grounder to end the inning with the Chiefs up by two.

The teams traded runs in the fifth inning. Peoria knocked Koch from the game as Burke led off with a double and scored on a single by Vitters for a 7-5 lead. The Chiefs added another single, but Vitters made the final out of the inning at the plate when he was sent home on an infield error and out by five feet at the plate. Lansing got the run back against Chiefs reliever Chris Huseby in their half of the inning. Wilson drew a one-out walk and stole second base. After a flyout Sobolewski made it 7-5 with a single to right before Huseby struck out Chavez to end the inning. The Chiefs regained a three-run advantage in the seventh as Vitters crushed a monster lead-off homer off Hunter Moody. The blast, his second of the series and third of the season, cleared the wall, berm and concourse in left field and almost landed on E. Michigan Avenue. Lansing cut the lead back to two in the ninth against Ryan Buchter. Jimenez doubled with one out and went to third on a single by Balbino Fuenmayor. Markus Brisker made it an 8-6 game with a sac fly before Buchter got Wilson to ground out to end the game. Hatley cruised through two innings but ran into trouble in the third. He took a no-decision after allowing four runs on five hits over three innings of work. Hatley walked one, allowed two homers and tied a careerhigh with five strikeouts. Kevin Kreier threw a perfect fourth inning and recorded a strikeout. Huseby allowed a run on two hits while walking one and striking out three in his two innings of work. Ryan Buchter threw the final three innings for his third save, allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts. Casey's General Store Player of the Game - Josh Vitters (3B) - Josh doubled and scored in the first, singled home a run in the fifth and hit a solo homer in the seventh to finish 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. He has now homered in back to back games and is 14-for-33 on the road trip.

Notes...

Harrison was 3-for-5 and now has a 15-game hit streak in which he is 26-for-57... Harrison has 16

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Midwest League Stories from May 6, 2009


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