By Nathan Baliva/ Peoria Chiefs Baseball
PEORIA- The Peoria Chiefs battled from behind all game and came out on top with a 10-8 win over the Burlington Bees Friday night. The win, their second in a row, lifts the Chiefs to 11-11 pn the season with two games left on the homestand.
The Bees got on the board first in the top of the third. Chiefs starter Dewin Perez walked the first three batters of the inning to load the bases. Caleb Adams and Andrew Daniel provided back-to-back singles to make the score 2-0. Perez was relieved by Jhonny Polanco, who got the first two outs of the inning with a fly out and a strikeout. With two down in the inning Burlington took a 3-0 lead on a passed ball by Luis Cruz before Polanco got that batter to fly out and end the frame.
Burlington extended their lead to 4-0 against Polanco in the fourth. Brandon Gildea reached on a one-out single and went to third on a hit by Michael Hermosillo. With the next batter at the plate, another passed ball allowed Gildea to score for the 4-0 Bees lead.
Peoria got back to within a run in the bottom of the fourth. The inning started with Justin Ringo drawing a walk. Back-to-back singles from Danny Diekroeger and Luis Cruz loaded the bases with one out. Ringo scored on a sacrifice fly by Blake Drake, and two more came home with Oscar Mercado at the plate. Mercado hit an RBI single to right to score Diekroeger, and Cruz came home on a throwing error by Bees right fielder Natanael Delgado to make it 4-3 Burlington. Mercado tried to score following the error and was tagged out at the plate to end the inning.
Burlington extended their lead in the top of the fifth. Daniel reached base to start the inning when he was hit by a pitch and he scored to make it 5-3 when Zach Houchins doubled to right.
Peoria tied the game in the fifth against new Bees hurler Tyler Carpenter. Andrew Sohn led off with a double to right field and scored on a single by Collin Radack. Radack went to second on a balk by Carpenter and went to third on a fly out by Nick Thompson. Justin Ringo singled through the drawn-in Burlington infield to drive home Radack and tie the score 5-5.
The Bees retook the lead in the seventh inning Kevin Alexander. Houchins led off with a single and Delgado singled with one out to put runners at first and second. Raul Linares doubled to bring home Houchins and Delgado scored on a sacrifice fly by Gildea to make it 7-5.
Peoria got a run back in the seventh against Kevin Alexander when Nick Thompson launched a solo home run to left. The home run was Thompson’s first of the season, and came in his first game back from the disabled list.
The Chiefs took the lead with a four-run rally in the bottom of the eighth. Cruz led off with an infield single and was replaced by pinch-runner Magneuris Sierra. Back-to-back singles from Drake and Mercado loaded the bases for Peoria with nobody out. Sohn reached base on a force-out at home for the first out. Radack gave the Chiefs their first lead of the ballgame when he singled to center to drive in Drake and Mercado for an 8-7 lead. Thompson drew a walk to reload the bases and Ringo singled to bring home Radack and Sohn for the 10-7 lead.
Burlington had a comeback attempt thwarted in the ninth as they got one home against Chiefs right-hander Robby Rowland. Linares hit a two-out single for the Bees and went to third on an error by Radack. Gildea came up next and singled to make it 10-8 Chiefs.
Perez went two innings and got a no-decision, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and five walks without recording a strikeout. Polanco worked three innings of relief, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and no walks, striking out five. Alexander made his 2015 Chiefs debut with 2 ⅔ innings, allowing two runs on four hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Rowland (1-0) got his first win of the season with 1 ⅓ innings of three-hit ball, allowing only an unearned run and a walk with no strikeouts.
