By WJBC Staff
PEORIA – The Peoria Chiefs went 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position and lost to the Clinton LumberKings 6-4 on Wednesday afternoon in the rain. With the loss the Chiefs fall to 6-7 on the season with a four-game series against Wisconsin starting on Thursday night.
With the game scoreless the LumberKings got to Chiefs starter Jake Woodford in the top of the third inning. Arturo Nieto reached on an infield single and Braden Bishop followed with a single to left. Rayder Ascanio grounded into a fielders’ choice with Bishop out at second. Nieto scored on a safety squeeze bunt by Connor Hale as the Chiefs couldn’t record an out. Logan Taylor singled up the middle and Ascanio scored when Eli Alvarez threw wildly to third. With Clinton up 2-0, Gus Craig added to the lead with a single and Dalton Kelly put the visitors on top 4-0 with a sacrifice fly.
The Chiefs got two runs back in the bottom of the inning against Clinton starter Kyle Wilcox. Thomas Spitz walked with one out and stole second before Alvarez walked. Edmundo Sosa singled to get the Chiefs on the board as Alvarez moved to third. A sacrifice fly from Magneuris Sierra cut the Clinton lead to 4-2.
RJ Dennard start the fourth inning with a walk and with Casey Turgeon batting, the game went into a rain delay. After a 24-minute delay, Turgeon drew a walk and Vaughn Bryan also walked to load the bases with nobody out. However Wilcox got out of the inning with two strikeouts and a comebacker to end the threat.
The Chiefs got to within one run in the seventh inning against reliever Darin Gilles. Craig Aikin led off with a bunt single and moved to third on a one-out single by Alvarez. A wild pitch scored Aikin and moved Alvarez to second before Vinny Nittoli came out of the Clinton bullpen. With the tying run at second and one out Nittoli retired Sosa and Sierra to end the inning.
Trailing 4-0 the Chiefs scratched a couple of runs in the bottom of the third inning off of Clinton starter Kyle Wilcox. With one out, Thomas Spitz walks and steals second. The next batter Alavarez follows with a base-on balls and Edmundo Sosa singled in Spitz for the Chiefs their first run of the game, and Alvarez on hustle play ends up at third. A sac fly by Magneuris Sierra scored Alvarez and the Chiefs trailed 4-2.
Clinton scored two runs in the eighth against Chandler Hawkins with a pair of doubles, a wild pitch and an infield single. Down 6-3 the Chiefs got one back in the bottom of the inning against Nittoli. Dennard doubled with one out and scored on a double by Turgeon to cut the Clinton lead to 6-4. But again the Chiefs left a runner at second base with one out on a strikeout and a groundout.
The Chiefs put two on base in the bottom of the ninth as Alvarez and Sosa both singled with one out against lefty Nick Kiel. After a strikeout of Sierra, newcomer Orlando Olivera was called on to pinch hit for Chris Chinea. Matt Walker came out of the bullpen for Clinton and got Olivera to fly out to right to end the game.
Woodford (0-2) suffered the loss as he allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits over five innings. The right-hander walked one and struck out three. Hawkins allowed two runs on two hits and one walk over 2 1/3 innings as he struck out three. Luke Harrison allowed an infield single over 1 2/3 shutout innings.
