Four Home Runs Lead Chiefs to 11th Straight Win & 1st Place
July 4, 2008 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release
Grand Chute, WI - The Peoria Chiefs provided the 4th of July fireworks with four home runs for a 9-7 victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Friday night to move into sole possession of first place for the first time all season. The victory gives the Chiefs a 4-0 start to a 13-game road trip and a franchise record 11 game win streak. The Chiefs jumped on Rattlers started Edward Parades in the top of the first with a two-out rally. After Elvis Lara was picked off first base, Marquez Smith drew a walk and Jovan Rosa singled to center. Luis Bautista put the Chiefs on top with a single to left and Brandon Guyer made it 2-0 with a run-scoring single to center. The Chiefs kept it going in the second and sent Parades to the showers early. Drew Rundle was hit in the helmet by a pitch to start the inning and stayed at first after a pickoff throw was botched by Alex Liddi. Gian Guzman took advantage with a towering home run to left field for a 4-0 Chiefs lead. The homer is the first in Guzman's professional career and came in his 237th career at-bat. Nate Samson followed with a single to left and Wisconsin removed Paredes from the game. Ryan Moorer came in and got out of the inning without any further damage done as the Chiefs left two runners on base. Wisconsin got back into the game against Chiefs starter Audy Santana in the third inning. After a strikeout, Edilio Colina singled to left and Denny Almonte drew a walk. Alex Liddi got the Rattlers on the board with a single to right and both runners moved up on the throw to the plate by Lara. Joe Dunigan made it 4-2 with a RBI groundout to second and Liddi scored on a wild pitch to cut the Chiefs lead to one. It might have taken Guzman 237 at-bats to hit his first career home run, but he didn't wait long for his second. In his next plate appearance in the fourth inning he slammed a solo shot just inside the left-field foul pole to give the Chiefs a 5-3 lead. Natividad Dilone relieved Moorer to start the fifth and was greeted rather rudely by Bautista. The Chiefs DH powered a first-pitch solo home run over the 405 foot sign and past the flag poles in right-center to give the Chiefs a 6-3 lead. The homer gives Bautista seven on the season and four over the last 11 games. Chris Siegfried relieved Santana in the fifth to throw one inning in preparation for a Sunday start at Quad Cities. Wisconsin quickly took advantage and tied the game. Juan Diaz reached on an infield single and Colina hit his second homer of the season to cut the Chiefs lead to 6-5. After back to back outs, Dunigan tied the game with a solo home run to center. The game didn't stay tied long as the Chiefs scored in the top of the sixth against Rattlers reliever Keith Meyer. With two down Lara drew a walk and Smith singled to left. Rosa put the Chiefs back on top with a double to the center field wall for an 8-6 lead. Bautista followed with a walk and Guyer was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Mario Mercedes bounced out to end the frame. Bautista finished the scoring for the Chiefs with his second homer of the night to lead off the ninth against Jose Escalona. The monster home run into the trees behind the 20-foot high left field wall gave the Chiefs a 9-6 lead and Bautista his third home run of the series. Wisconsin got one run in the ninth against Jordan Latham but Israel Nunez grounded out to end the game. Santana pitched four innings for the third straight start and allowed three runs on four hits. The Dominican native struck out four and walked two in a no-decision. Siegfried allowed two home runs and three runs in his lone inning of work. Zach Ashwood allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three in his two shutout innings. Latham picked up his third save of the win streak allowing one run on three hits over two innings.
Players of the Game - Gian Guzman (2B) & Luis Bautista (DH) - Guzman and Bautista each homered twice Friday night and combined to drive in six runs. The Chiefs second baseman hit his first two career homers in his first two at-bats of the night. Guzman also tied a career high with three RBI and finished the game 2-for-5. Bautista has eight homers since June 15 and also singled home the first run of the night to finish 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBI.
Notes...The Chiefs have not played at home on July 4 just once since 2001, a 6-2 win against Clinton in 2006...Since 1999 Peoria is 5-5 on the 4th of July Holiday as they won three straight from 1999-2001 before losing four straight from 2002-05 then winning in 2006 and losing last season at Kane County 3-1...The Chiefs are 10-10 this season against left-handed starting pitchers including an 9-3 mark over their last 12 such outings...Samson had his second straight three-hit game and leads the team with 27 multi-hit games...Guzman and Bautista join Guyer and Dylan Johnston as the four Chiefs to hit more than one home run in a game this season...The Chiefs have 14 home runs in 12 games against Wisconsin this season, more than against any other team...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 59 innings and have trailed at the end of just 10 innings of the 103 played during this win streak...The Chiefs hit three homers against Clinton June five but tonight was their first four-home game of the season...Peoria has scored in the first inning six times in their last 11 games...Bautista has a career-high nine game hit streak in which he is 19-for-37 (.514) with five home runs, six doubles and 13 RBI...Rosa has at least one extra base hit in seven straight games...The 13-game road trip continues Saturday night at 6:00 pm as the Chiefs head to Davenport, Iowa for a three-game commuter series against the Quad Cities River Bandits...The Chiefs will send RH Jose Pina (0-0, 0.00) to the mound in his return to the MWL against Bandits RH Brian Broderick (3-6, 4.67)...The game can be heard live beginning with the pre-game show at 5:45 pm online at www.peoriachiefs.com or on WOAM 1350 AM.
Midwest League Stories from July 4, 2008
- Home stand Preview: July 5-7 - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- River Bandits earn series split with 9-2 win over Kernels - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Long ball dooms Rattlers - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Four Home Runs Lead Chiefs to 11th Straight Win & 1st Place - Peoria Chiefs
- Bandits earn big win on Independence Day - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Wizards win to avoid sweep - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Snappers Only Muster Three Hits in 4-0 Loss - Beloit Sky Carp
- Hawks Almost No-No Lugnuts - South Bend Silver Hawks
- Vougars doomed by one bad frame - Kane County Cougars
- Bees Put Up Nine Runs in Third Inning and Win - Burlington Bees
- Lugnuts outpitched in loss - Lansing Lugnuts
- Loons Nemesis Parker Haunts Loons - Great Lakes Loons
- Lotzkar, Parker Lead Dragons to Win on Friday Afternoon - Dayton Dragons
- Military Appreciation With Timber Rattlers - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Chris Rosenbaum to Rancho Cucamonga; Alex Silversmith arrives from Tempe - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- River Bandits snap Kernels streak at three, 2-1 - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Clinton ballpark a Midwest gem - OSC Original by Marc Viquez
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