By WJBC Staff
PEORIA – The Peoria Chiefs gave up three home runs as they fell 7-3 to the South Bend Cubs Sunday afternoon. The loss drops the Chiefs to 30-33 and, combined with a Cedar Rapids win, eliminates them from first-half playoff contention with one game left on the home stand and seven total games remaining until the All-Star break.
Both starting pitchers kept the game scoreless through the first two innings. South Bend started the scoring in the top of the third when Rashad Crawford led off with a home run to right field against Chiefs starter Matt Pearce to give the Cubs the 1-0 lead. Andrew Ely singled and Gleyber Torres homered to left for the 3-0 Cubs lead.
The Chiefs got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the third against Cubs starter Erick Leal. Andrew Sohn led off and was hit by a pitch and Darren Seferina ripped a home run to right to make the score 3-2.
The Cubs got another run in the top of the fifth. Torres and Jason Vosler singled to put runners at the corners with one out, and Torres came home on a throwing error by Sohn for the 4-2 lead.
Peoria got a run back in the bottom of the fifth. Sohn led off with a double and scored on a double by Seferina to make it a 4-3 South Bend lead.
In the sixth inning, the Chiefs had runners on the corners with one out. Jordan Minch took over from Leal and got Blake Drake to pop up in foul territory to first base. Ronald Castillo tried to score from third on the play and was called out on a close play at the plate to end the inning.
The Cubs added to their lead in the eighth against new Chiefs hurler Nick Lomascolo. Yasiel Balaguert led off with a double and Cael Brockmeyer homered to left-center to give the Cubs a 6-3 lead. South bend added one more run in the ninth. Ely doubled and scored when Torres doubled and was thrown out trying to take third.
Pearce (3-7) took the loss, going seven innings for the Chiefs and surrendering four runs, three earned, on nine hits, striking out four. Lomascolo worked two innings and allowed three runs on six hits.
