By Nathan Baliva
PEORIA – The Peoria Chiefs allowed three home runs and lost 6-2 to the Quad Cities River Bandits Wednesday afternoon. The loss, their second in a row, drops the Chiefs to 8-6 with one game left on the series and homestand.
The Chiefs grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first against Jose Musgrove despite not getting a hit. Magneuris Sierra reached on a throwing error by shortstop Kristian Trompiz to start the inning and he moved to second on a passed ball. Sierra advanced to third on a deep flyout by Oscar Mercado and scored on a groundout from Danny Diekroeger for the 1-0 lead.
Quad Cities took the lead against Austin Gomber in the top of the second inning. Mott Hyde drew a one-out walk and Jacob Nottingham hit a towering home run off the batters eye in straightaway center field. The homer, Nottingham’s third of the season, gave the Bandits a 2-1 lead.
The Bandits added to their lead with another home run in the fourth. Ryan Bottger, who replaced the injured Derek Fisher after the top of the first, connected on the first pitch he saw for a solo homer into the left-field berm. Bottger’s first home of the season put the Bandits on top 3-1.
The long balls continued for the Bandits in the top of the fifth against Gomber. Trompiz singled with one out and Jorge Martinez hit his second homer of the season onto the left-field concourse for a 5-1 Bandits lead. In the sixth the Bandits scored for the first time without a homer as Alex Hernandez doubled home Mott Hyde after Jhonny Polanco took over for Gomber.
The Chiefs finally knocked Musgrove from the game in the bottom of the sixth. Diekreoger walked with two outs and Justin Ringo doubled off the right-field wall to cut the Bandits lead to 6-2. Keegan Yuhl took over for Musgrove and got a groundout to end the inning.
Gomber (1-2) took the loss allowing six runs on four hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings of work. He struck out eight and allowed three home runs, which matched his tally over 47 innings last season. Polanco allowed one hit and walked one over 2 1/3 shutout innings while striking out five. Robby Rowland struck out one and allowed a hit in his shutout inning.
