Flores' Seventh Inning Homer Pushes Chiefs to First Series Win
MWL Peoria Chiefs

Flores' Seventh Inning Homer Pushes Chiefs to First Series Win

Published on April 25, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Peoria Chiefs News Release


PEORIA, IL - Behind a five-RBI performance from Jalin Flores, including a three-run go-ahead blast in the seventh, the Chiefs clinched their first series win of the season with a 7-5 victory over Cedar Rapids on Saturday night at Dozer Park.

In the second inning, the Kernels struck first on an Andy Lugo RBI single, scoring Jaime Ferrer for a 1-0 advantage.

The Chiefs responded in the third with an RBI double by Flores that scored Ian Petrutz. Won-Bin Cho also came home on a throwing error by right fielder Ferrer on the same play, giving Peoria a 2-1 lead.

Chiefs starter Yhoiker Fajardo allowed one run on four hits while striking out five and walking two in 3.1 innings.

After scoreless third and fourth offensive frames, Cedar Rapids bounced back in the fifth. Caden Kendle brought in Brandon Winokur on an RBI single, and Jay Thomason blasted a two-run shot to score Kendle to put the Kernels in front 4-2.

Peoria answered in the bottom of the fifth when Flores grounded into a force out, allowing Petrutz to score from third to cut the deficit to 4-3.

In the sixth, Jesús Báez blasted his third home run of the season to left field, tying the game at 4-4.

The Kernels clawed in front once again in the seventh when Ferrer scored on a wild pitch from Jack Findlay, making it 5-4 Cedar Rapids. Findlay stranded two runners in scoring position to earn his second win.

Flores delivered again in the bottom half, sneaking a three-run go-ahead home run inside the left field foul pole off Brent Francisco to give the Chiefs a 7-5 lead.

D.J. Carpenter locked it down from there, tossing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts to earn his first save of the season.

With the win, the Chiefs improve to 9-10 and secure their first home series victory over the Kernels since August 2018.

Peoria has a chance to even its record for the first time since opening weekend on Sunday at 2:05 P.M.

OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois presents Grand Slam Sunday, where kids can attend for five dollars, including an opportunity to run the bases after the game, play catch on the field, and collect their favorite Chiefs' player autographs.

Fans can also listen to the call on PeoriaChiefs.com or watch on MiLB.TV or the Bally Sports Live app.

Check out the Peoria Chiefs Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from April 25, 2026


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