By WJBC Staff
PEORIA – The Peoria Chiefs used a one-hit complete game shutout from Austin Gomber to beat the Cedar Rapids Kernels 1-0 on Monday night.
This after the Kernels won the completion of a suspended game, 7-3. The win moves the Chiefs to 20-18 on the season with three games remaining against Cedar Rapids on the current homestand.
Gomber retired the first four Kernels before Zach Larson singled to center field with one out in the second inning. Gomber struck out TJ White to start a string of 13 Kernels in a row retired.
The game stayed scoreless until the bottom of the third as Cedar Rapids starter Matt Batts struck out six straight Chiefs. Andrew Sohn walked with one out in the third and scored on a double to left by Casey Turgeon. Oscar Mercado reached on a single to third base but Turgeon had to hold at second. Justin Ringo singled to left to load the bases before Batts struck out the next two Chiefs.
Gomber racked up four strikeouts before Tanner English reached on an error with two outs in the sixth. English stole second to give the Kernels their first runners past first base in the game. Gomber escaped the inning as Nick Gordon grounded out to second. With action starting
in the bullpen, Gomber retired the Kernels in order in the seventh to preserve the complete-game one-hit shutout.
In his one-hit shutout, Gomber (3-3) struck out four and did not issue a walk to earn the win. The lefty threw 77 pitches, 52 for strikes.
Resumed game
The Peoria Chiefs couldn’t come back from a 6-2 deficit from Thursday night’s rain-suspended game in Cedar Rapids, eventually falling to the Kernels by a 7-3 final score when the game was finished on Monday at Dozer Park.
On Thursday the Chiefs jumped all over lefty starter Stephen Gonsalves in the top of the first inning. Andrew Sohn singled with one out and moved to second on a hit by Collin Radack. Nick Thompson gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead with a single to left and with two down, Steve Bean added a RBI single to left for a 2-0 Peoria lead.
Cedar Rapids came right back to tie the game in the bottom of the inning against Dewin Perez. Tanner English launched a lead-off triple to the 407 foot marker in left-center and scored on a Nick Gordon single. Trey Vavra scored a double to the wall in left to put two in scoring position before Zach Larson tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
The Kernels went right back to work in the second. Rainis Silva doubled to the left-center field wall and scored on a one-out sacrifice fly by Blake Schmitt. After English walked the game was delayed as the grounds crew worked on the mound. English moved to third as Gordon reached on an error by Alex DeLeon at first base and Vavra smashed his fourth home run of the season to left for a 6-2 Kernels lead.
After the Chiefs went in order in the fourth inning, the game was delayed by rain as the umpires called for the tarp. The game was suspended after 38 minutes and the two teams resumed it Monday afternoon at Dozer Park.
When the game got back underway Monday the Chiefs plated a run in the top of the fifth against Keaton Steele. Danny Diekroeger led off with
a double and Blake Drake followed with a double of his own to trim the Kernels lead to 6-3.
The Kernels scored again in the sixth against Blake McKnight. Silva and Tyler Kuresa walked back to back with one out and Schmitt reached on a fielder’s choice to put runners at the corners with two out. Silva scored on a single by English and Schmitt was thrown out at third base to end the inning with the score 7-3.
Perez (0-2) started the game on Thursday and worked three innings before the game was suspended. In those three innings he allowed six runs (three earned) on five hits and one walk, striking out two. McKnight was the Chiefs hurler when play resumed on Monday at Dozer Park. He went four innings and allowed one run on one hit and two walks, striking out two. Jhonny Polanco worked a scoreless eighth for the Chiefs, walking one and striking out one.
