By WJBC Staff
PEORIA – The Peoria Chiefs manufactured three runs Monday afternoon and it was more than enough as they got eight shutout innings from Daniel Poncedeleon to beat the Kane County Cougars 3-0. The win lifts the Chiefs to 26-26 on the season. They will now enjoy an off day before starting a six-game road trip Wednesday with three games each at Great Lakes and Lansing.
The Chiefs started the scoring in the bottom of the second against Cougars starter Touki Toussaint. Adam Ehrlich led off with a walk and advanced to third when Blake Drake doubled down the left field line. Ehrlich scored when Andrew Sohn lifted a sacrifice fly to center to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead.
The Chiefs added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh against new Cougars hurler Jency Solis. Vaughn Bryan led off with an infield single and went to second on a throwing error by Cougars second baseman Ryan Gebhardt. Bryan advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Danny Diekroeger and scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
The Chiefs added another insurance tally in the bottom of the eighth. Drake led off with a double and was sacrificed to third by Sohn. Drake scored on a sacrifice fly by Darren Seferina to make it 3-0 Peoria.
Poncedeleon (6-0) got the win with eight shutout innings, allowing only three hits and one walk, striking out five. Poncedeleon was in cruise control throughout the game, he stranded two runners in scoring position in the first inning and did not allow a runner past second the rest of the way. Tyler Bray came in to earn his second save, pitching a perfect ninth, striking out one.
