The Peoria Chiefs allowed five runs in the bottom of the first inning and 11 more in the fourth inning in a crushing 23-3 loss to the Cedar Rapids Kernels Monday night, the worst loss in team history. Peoria is 35-21 in the second half and 68-56 on the season and has a magic number of four to clinch a playoff spot with 14 games remaining.
Cedar Rapids got things going right away as the first seven batters reached against Chiefs starter Jack Flaherty. Sean Miller and Nick Gordon both singled before Edgar Corcino’s single made it 1-0. Gordon scored on a single by T.J. White and a triple from Max Murphy put the hosts on top 4-0. Alex Real singled home Murphy for a 5-0 lead and Brian Navaretto walked. Flaherty struck out Pat Kelly and gave way to Nick Lomascolo out of the bullpen. Lomascolo hit Austin Diemer to load the bases before a double play ended the long bottom of the first.
The Chiefs appeared to get back in the game in the top of the fourth against Keaton Steele. Brian O’Keefe led off with a single and Harrison Bader hit a towering home run to left to cut the lead to 5-2. The homer, Bader’s sixth of the season, completely left the stadium.
Cedar Rapids responded with the worst inning the Chiefs have allowed since 1997. Diemer walked to start the inning, Miller singled and Gordon walked before a wild pitch put Cedar Rapids up 6-2. With one out Dixon Llorens took over for Lomascolo and the next eight Kernels picked up hits. White tripled home two and scored on a balk for a 9-2 lead. Brian Navaretto singled home a run before Diemer tripled home two more. A second balk on Llorens scored Diemer for a 12-2 game before Miller and Gordon delivered RBI singles. With the Chiefs down 15-2, Jery Then took over and allowed a RBI double to White before finally getting out of the inning after 11 Kernels scored.
Cedar Rapids added a run in the sixth as Corcino homered off Chiefs first baseman Alex DeLeon who was making his second pitching appearance of the season. The Chiefs scored in the seventh as Darren Seferina singled home Jake Gronsky.
The Kernels scored three in the seventh and three more in the eighth against three Chiefs position players. DeLeon gave up the first two in the seventh before giving way to DH Luis Cruz. Cruz gave up one more in the eighth and then left with the Kernels up 21-3 in the eighth. Cruz went to first base as Gronsky took over on the mound. Gronsky walked a batter and gave up a two-run double to Corcino as the Kernels took a 23-3 lead.
Flaherty (8-2) allowed five runs on six hits and a walk while striking out one batter in 1/3 of an inning. Lomascolo allowed three runs on one hit and two walks over three innings while striking out two. Llorens did not record an out and was charged with eight runs on eight hits and two balks. Then allowed three hits and a walk over 1 2/3 shutout innings while striking out one. DeLeon allowed three runs on five hits over 1 1/3 innings. Cruz allowed three runs on three hits over one inning while hitting a batter. Gronsky allowed one hit and walked one over 2/3 of an inning.
