By WJBC Staff
MIDLAND, Mich.- The Peoria Chiefs outhit the Great Lakes Loons Wednesday night but left 12 runners on base in a 4-2 loss to start a six-game roadtrip. The loss drops the Chiefs to 26-27 on the season heading into game two of the series Thursday.
The Chiefs lost a runner on the basepaths in the top of the first and then left two more on after a walk and a hit batter. Great Lakes took advantage in the bottom of the inning against Matt Pearce. Alex Verdugo led off with a double and Johan Mieses reached on a fielding error by Pearce. Mieses stole second and Verdugo scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead. A sacrifice fly from Josmer Cordero doubled the Loons lead as Mieses scored.
Peoria got even in the third inning against Brandon Martinez. Darren Seferina singled up the middle with one out and Adam Ehrlich walked with two down. Nick Thompson lined a double to the wall down the left-field line as Seferina and Ehrlich scored to tie the game. Thompson was left at second and the game eventually stayed tied until the seventh.
As Pearce settled in and cruised through the middle innings, the Chiefs had plenty of chances to take the lead against Martinez and reliever Robert Fernandez. In the fourth Alex Deleon walked and Magneuris Sierra bunted for a single to put two on with no outs. But the next three Chiefs were retired in order as the game stayed tied. In the seventh, Seferina and Oscar Mercado both singled with two outs before Fernandez got Ehrlich to fly out to left to end the inning.
Great Lakes put together three straight two-out hits of their own in the seventh to take the lead against Pearce. Jacob Scavuzzo and Mike Ahmed both singled before Kelvin Ramos grounded a double down the left-field line for a 3-2 lead. Ahmed was thrown out diving back to third on the play by Blake Drake to end the inning.
The Chiefs again put the first two on base in the eighth against reliever Bubba Rossman. Thompson walked and Steve Bean singled to put the tying run at second with no outs. Rossman got out of the inning as DeLeon struck out, Sierra popped out and Drake grounded out.
Great Lakes added insurance in the eighth against reliever Nick Lomascolo. Verdugo was hit by a pitch and Mieses hit a comebacker to the mound for a potential double play. However, Lomascolo’s throw to second sailed into center field to put two on base before Alex Santana was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kender Villegas replaced Lomascolo and the Loons took a 4-2 lead on a Cordero sac fly before a double play ended the inning.
The Chiefs rallied in the top of the ninth but couldn’t score against Kyle Hooper. Andrew Sohn led off with a walk and with one out Mercado singled to right. Santana dropped a fly ball from Ehrlich in left field to load the bases and put the tying run at second with just one out. Hooper recovered to strike out Thompson and Bean grounded out to first to end the game.
Pearce (3-5) allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits over seven innings. He struck out three, walked one and threw a wild pitch. Lomascolo hit two of the three batters he faced and allowed an unearned run. Villegas threw one inning and allowed one hit with no runs scoring.
