Grand Chute, WI – The Peoria Chiefs got just two hits after the first inning and dropped their third straight game with a 4-0 road loss to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Thursday night. The Chiefs are now 3-4 on the season with three games left on the series in Wisconsin.
The Chiefs started the game with consecutive singles by Eli Alvarez and Edmundo Sosa. Both runners moved up 90 feet on a one-out groundout but were left in scoring position. By the time the Chiefs got another hit, with two outs in the sixth inning, Wisconsin led 4-0.
Wisconsin grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against Chiefs starter Jake Woodford. After a double play erased a lead-off walk, Woodford allowed three straight singles with David Denson driving home Tucker Neuhaus for the game’s first run. In the second inning, Alan Sharkey led off with a single and Elvis Rubio hit a two-run homer to left for a 3-0 lead. Wisconsin scored again in the fifth inning as Monte Harrison singled, Neuhaus doubled and Max McDowell delivered a sacrifice fly.
Woodford (1-1) took the loss allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks and a hit batter over 5 2/3 innings. Woodford struck out four in his second start of the season. Steve Gallardo allowed two hits over 2 1/3 shutout innings while striking out two.
Notes: R.J. Dennard had hit safely in all six Chiefs games this season before going 0-for-4 Thursday…Sosa had two of the four hits as he doubled in the ninth…The Chiefs have been shutout twice in the last three games, going 2-for-20 with runners in scoring position and both hits were by Dennard on Wednesday night…Woodford allowed his first home run since July 20, 2015 with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals…The nine hits allowed is a new career high for Woodford…Rubio homered twice against the Chiefs last season as well, he has five career MWL home runs in 126 games and three are against Peoria…Six of the nine Rattlers in the starting lineup played in the Midwest League last season while the Chiefs had just three…The series continues Friday at 6:35 p.m. as the Chiefs start RH Sandy Alcantara (1-0, 5.40) against Rattlers RH Jon Perrin (1-0, 1.80)…The broadcast can be heard, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:15 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.
