Grand Chute, WI – The Peoria Chiefs allowed six runs in the sixth inning after leading 1-0 and lost 7-2 to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Saturday afternoon. The loss drops the Chiefs to 4-5 on the season heading into Sunday afternoon’s series and road trip finale.
The Chiefs struck first as they collected three straight hits off Wisconsin starter Drake Owenby to start the third inning. After Eli Alvarez loaded the bases with his single, Edmundo Sosa gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to center that plated Vaughn Bryan. However Owenby bounced back to strikeout Magneuris Sierra and Brian O’Keefe to limit the Chiefs lead to 1-0.
Chiefs starter Ryan Helsley held the 1-0 until the sixth when everything turned the Rattlers way. Elvis Rubio led off with a single to center and an error on the play by Sierra sent Rubio to third. Luis Aviles singled to tie the game and Carlos Belonis doubled to left for a 2-1 Rattlers lead though he was thrown out at third for the first out of the inning. Isan Diaz hit a long home run off the video board in left-center for a 3-1 Rattlers and with two outs Mitch Ghelfi doubled to left. Sasha Kuebel took over for Helsley and David Denson singled home Ghelfi for a 4-1 lead. An error by Alvarez at second base scored a run and extended the inning before Rubio’s second hit of the frame gave Wisconsin a 6-1 lead. The Rattlers added to their lead in the seventh when Belonis homered to left off Kuebel.
Peoria got one run back in the top of the eighth against reliever Manny Diaz. Sosa led off with a single to center and moved all the way to third as Sierra reached on a throwing error by third baseman Jake Gatewood. Sosa scored on a wild pitch before Diaz retired the next three Chiefs to end the inning.
Helsley (0-1) took the loss allowing four runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out four and did not issue a walk. Kuebel allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits over 1 1/3 innings while striking out two. Tyler Bray struck out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect eighth inning.
Notes: Sosa singled in the eighth to extend his hit streak to six games…The Chiefs were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base…Vaughn Bryan had his first two-hit game of the season…Alvarez stole his team-leading third base and had two hits including a double…Sierra picked up the team’s first outfield assist of the season…Thomas Spitz turned 24 on Saturday with a 1-for-3 day and a walk…Helsley tied a career high with his second straight outing of 5 2/3 innings…He also set a new career high with seven hits allowed and for the first time in 11 career starts he did not issue a walk…Helsley and Kuebel have both allowed two home runs on the season…Saturday marked the first time the opponent has hit two home runs in the same game this season…The Chiefs have not hit two homers in the same game in 2016…Saturday marked the first day game of the season for the Chiefs and also kicked off a stretch of five day games in nine days…The series concludes Sunday at 1:05 p.m. as the Chiefs start RH Junior Fernandez (1-0, 4.50) against Wisconsin LH Jake Drossner (0-2, 4.26)…The broadcast can be heard, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 12:50 p.m., on www.peoriachiefs.com/listenlive which also has downloads for a free app on the iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android. The broadcast is also available on the Peoria Chiefs Network in the Tune-In Radio App.
