
By WJBC Staff
CLINTON, Iowa – The Peoria Chiefs got six shutout innings from starter Daniel Poncedeleon and three relievers threw a scoreless inning each as the visitors shutout the Clinton LumberKings 2-0 Wednesday afternoon to win the three-game series. The win, their second in a row, moves the Chiefs to 14-13 on the season heading into a three-game road series in Burlington.
The Chiefs wasted little time in grabbing the lead against Clinton righty Daniel Massaki. Darren Seferina led off the first inning with a single to right and stole second. With one out, Collin Radack singled to bring home Seferina for the 1-0 Chiefs lead.
Poncedeleon scattered six singles over six shutout innings and Clinton only put two runners on base at the same time twice and never had a runner past second base. In the fifth inning the LumberKings put two on base and Poncedeleon got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts.
The Chiefs doubled their lead in the seventh against the Clinton bullpen. Radack was hit by a pitch and went to third on a single by Nick Thompson. Lefty Nick Kiel came out of the bullpen to get two straight outs before Alex DeLeon singled to right to score Radack for the 2-0 lead.
Three Chiefs relievers, Jhonny Polanco, Tyler Bray and Robby Rowland combined to retired all nine LumberKings they faced in the last three innings with four strikeouts. The LumberKings did not have a hit after the fifth inning and their last 10 batters were retired consecutively.
Poncedeleon (3-0) earned the win with six shutout innings in which he walked one and struck out six. The righty lowered his ERA to 1.23 while tying a career-high with eight strikeouts. Polanco threw a perfect seventh inning while Bray struck out two in a perfect eighth inning. Rowland earned his fourth save in four chances with two strikeouts in a perfect ninth inning.