Grand Chute, WI – The Peoria Chiefs scored three runs in the fourth and two more in the ninth to secure a 5-3 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Friday night. The win snaps a three-game losing streak and moves the Chiefs to 4-4 on the season with two games left in the series.
With the game scoreless into the top of the fourth the Chiefs got to Rattlers starter Jon Perrin for three runs. Eli Alvarez led off with a single and stole second with Wisconsin’s second baseman Tucker Neuhaus leaving the game injured on the play. Edmundo Sosa singled to left and the Chiefs took a 1-0 lead as Magneuris Sierra singled to right. The Chiefs loaded the bases as Monte Harrison’s diving effort in center came up short giving R.J. Dennard a single. After a strikeout, Jose Godoy hit a grounder to short but new Rattlers second baseman Luis Alvarez missed the throw from Isan Diaz as the ball sailed into threw the ball into right field. Both Sosa and Sierra scored on the play with Dennard moving to third. Perrin bounced back to retire the next to Chiefs to keep the score at 3-0.
The Chiefs still led 3-0 into the seventh when starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara loaded the basesp with a walk, hit batter and another walk. He left the game at 94 pitches as Steven De La Cruz came in out of the bullpen. After a passed ball scored a run, De La Cruz walked David Denson. Jake Gatewood’s single cut the Chiefs lead to 3-2 and Max McDowell scored on a fielders’ choice groundout to tie the game. De La Cruz struck out the next two Rattlers to keep the game tied.
With the game tied into the ninth, Brian O’Keefe worked a one-out walk from Quintin Torres-Costa and Godoy singled. Craig Aikin pinch-ran for O’Keefe and scored the go-ahead run on a double to left by Vaughn Bryan. Casey Turgeon put the Chiefs on top 5-3 with a sacrifice fly to deep center to plate Godoy. Torres-Costa intentionally walked Thomas Spitz and struck out Alvarez to end the inning.
Alcantara took a no-decision as he worked into the seventh inning. He allowed three runs on two hits and two walks while hitting a batter and striking out five. De La Cruz did not allow a run on one hit and one walk while striking out four in two innings. Landon Beck gave up a one-out double in the ninth but got a strikeout and did not allow a run for his first save.
Notes: The Chiefs got more hits (3) with a runner in scoring position in the fourth inning than they collected in the last three games combined (2)…Sosa has a five-game hit streak…Spitz picked up his first multi-hit game of the season and also drew the Chiefs first intentional walk…Beck’s other career save was a four-inning save for State College on July 24, 2015…Alcantara has only allowed runs in his final inning of work this season…Working into the seventh inning, he now has the longest Chiefs outing by a starting pitcher in 2016…Bryan has two doubles on the season and the Chiefs have 15 as a team…The 61 degree first-pitch temperature is the warmest for a Chiefs game so far this season…April 15 marks the 33rd anniversary of the first Midwest League game in franchise history as the Peoria Suns won at Burlington 7-1 in 1983…The series continues Saturday at 1:05 p.m. as the Chiefs start RH Ryan Helsley (0-0, 0.00) against Wisconsin LH Drake Owenby (0-0, 0.00)…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.
