By WJBC Staff
PEORIA – The Peoria Chiefs only scored a pair of runs but it was just enough as they held on to beat the West Michigan Whitecaps 2-1 Friday night. The win clinches the three-game series and improves the Chiefs to 29-32 on the season as they welcome in the South Bend Cubs Saturday for a three-game series.
West Michigan opened the scoring in the first inning against Chiefs starter Jack Flaherty. Ross Kivett led off with a single and stole second. Kivett scored on a single by Joey Pankake to make it 1-0.
The Chiefs tied the game in the bottom of the first against Whitecaps hurler Fernando Perez. Darren Seferina led off and launched a home run into the right field picnic plaza to tie the game 1-1.
The Chiefs took the lead in the third inning. Seferina led off with a single and went to second when Oscar Mercado was hit by a pitch. Seferina advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Danny Diekroeger for the 2-1 lead.
The Whitecaps had a chance in the eighth inning against reliever Blake McKnight. With a runner on first Michael Gerber just missed a go-ahead homer off the high wall down the right-field line and settled for a double. Pankake flew out to Nick Thompson in foul territory in right field and the Chiefs kept the 2-1 lead as Luis Cruz blocked the plate and tagged out Kivett to end the inning on the 9-2 double play.
Flaherty (1-1) got his first win with the Chiefs, allowing one run on four hits, walking two and striking out four over 5 1/3 innings. Blake McKnight worked 2 2/3 shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out one. Kender Villegas worked a perfect ninth inning to earn his first save since August 26, 2014 at Kingsport for the Johnson City Cardinals.
