Peoria, IL– Vince Jackson launched a sixth-inning go-ahead homer and Sam Tewes threw seven strong innings in his debut to lead the Peoria Chiefs to a 4-3 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Monday afternoon. The Chiefs improve to 21-16 in the second half and 51-55 overall with the series finale set for a 7:00 p.m. first pitch on Tuesday.
The Chiefs got out to an early lead in the second against Timber Rattlers starter Zack Brown. Ryan McCarvel stroked Peoria’s first hit of the game, a ground-rule double, to left-center and went to third when Brian O’Keefe reached on an error. McCarvel scored on a wild pitch, and Danny Hudzina blasted a mammoth homer to left field to give the Chiefs a 3-0 lead. Hudzina’s eighth homer of the year cleared the netting past the left field wall and ended up on Jefferson Avenue.
Wisconsin cut into Peoria’s lead in the fifth with newcomer Sam Tewes on the bump. Ronnie Gideon led off with a home run to left field to make it a 3-1 game. Tewes bounced back, retiring the next two hitters before Trever Morrison doubled to left and moved to third on a wild pitch. Tewes got a ground ball from Demi Orimoloye to work out of the inning.
In the sixth, Keston Hiura smacked a one-out single and scored when Weston Wilson hit his fifth home run of the year for the Timber Rattlers to tie the game at 3-3. Gideon doubled off the left field wall with two outs, but Tewes got Nathan Rodriguez to ground out to end the inning.
Peoria jumped back out to a lead in the bottom of the sixth. Jackson led off the inning with a blast to left field to put the Chiefs back on top 4-3. The homer was Jackson’s eighth overall and his second go-ahead bomb of the season.
Tewes (1-0) tossed seven innings in a win, allowing three runs on six hits without allowing a walk and striking out four. Dewin Perez threw one perfect inning with a strikeout in relief. Yeison Medina earned a save without allowing a baserunner over his one inning of work with a strikeout.
