By WJBC Staff
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Peoria Chiefs wasted a four-run lead and two homers from Nick Thompson as two errors in the 10th inning helped the Cedar Rapids Kernels to a 6-5 win Wednesday afternoon.
The loss drops the Chiefs to 17-16 on the season and 5-4 on the roadtrip that ends Thursday night. With the game tied after two innings, Blake Drake launched a solo home run on the second pitch of the third inning against John Curtiss. His fourth home run of the season put the Chiefs up 1-0 and Magneuris Sierra followed with a swinging-bunt single to second. With one down Justin Ringo’s fly ball to right field was misplayed by J.J. Fernandez allowing Sierra to score all the way from first for a 2-0 lead. With Ringo at second base, Thompson connected on a home run into the picnic tables in left for a 4-0 lead.
The Kernels got one run back in the bottom of the inning against Daniel Poncedeleon. Nick Gordon led off with a single, stole second and moved to third when the throw went into center. Trey Vavra singled home Gordon to cut the Chiefs lead to 4-1 but Poncedeleon stranded the bases loaded. Cedar Rapids added another run in the fourth as Tanner English reached on a fielders’ choice and stole second with one out. He moved to third as Gordon reached on an error and scored on a Vavra sacrifice fly to left-center. Thompson put the Chiefs back on top by three in the top of the fifth with his second home run of the game, a leadoff shot to left. The homer, his second of the game, put the Chiefs up 5-2 and marked Peoria’s third home run of the day.
Blake McKnight took over on the hill for Poncedeleon in the fifth inning and the Kernels grabbed two runs. Max Murphy singled to start the inning and with one out TJ White singled to right. Both runners moved up on a groundout and scored on a double by Tyler Kuresa as Cedar Rapids cut the Chiefs lead to 5-4. The Kernels tied the game in the eighth against Kevin Alexander. With one out English doubled down the third-base line and scored ahead of the throw from left field on a single by Gordon. Robby Rowland took over for Alexander and got Vavra to fly out before striking out Murphy to end the inning.
The Kernels won the game in the bottom of the 10th. Kuresa led off with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Zach Larson. Blake Schmitt laid down a sacrifice bunt with both runners safe on an error by Rowland. English sacrificed the runners to second and third and the Chiefs put five defenders on the infield. Gordon grounded to Ringo at first base but his throw home bounced and flew past the plate as Larson scored the winning run.
Poncedeleon allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits over four innings. He struck out three, walked one and hit one. McKnight allowed two runs on four hits over two innings while striking out one. Alexander allowed one run on three hits with a strikeout over 1 1/3 innings. Rowland (1-1) allowed one unearned run on one hit over two innings while striking out one.
