By WJBC Staff
PEORIA – The Peoria Chiefs tied the game in the eighth inning but left the bases loaded after allowing a solo home run in the top of the ninth and lost 5-4 to the Beloit Snappers on Monday afternoon. Even a record-tying 14 strikeout performance by Sandy Alcantara and a double by St. Louis Cardinals rehabbing shortstop Jhonny Peralta couldn’t prevent the Chiefs from falling to 21-22 on the season with their third straight loss.
Peralta made his third rehab start for the Chiefs playing six innings at shortstop and batting second. He struck out in the first, doubled to left centerfield in the third and scored the Chiefs first run and grounded out to third base in the fifth. His only defensive play came in the second inning as he threw out Jose Chavez on a groundball to his left.
For the second day in a row Beloit scored the first run of the ballgame. In the top of the second Ryan Howell singled off Alcantara and Skye Bolt doubled to the right field for a 1-0 lead. Jean Carlo Rodriguez doubled home Bolt and came around to score on a two-out single by Justin Higley to give the Snappers a 3-0 lead.
The Chiefs pulled within one of the Snappers in the bottom of the third against Angel Duno. Peralta led off with a line drive double to left center field and came around to score when Higley booted Edmundo Sosa’s single to left. Eli Alvarez extended his hit streak to ten games with a triple to right scoring Sosa to cut the lead to 3-2. Duno got out of the inning with the Snappers still on top as he stranded Alvarez on a groundout and flyout.
Alcantara went to work at that point as he struck out the side in the fourth and fifth. The Chiefs righty tied a 23-year old franchise record when he got Chris Iriart swinging to start the sixth for his seventh straight strikeout. Brett Siddall ended the run of strikeouts with a double to the gate in right-center before Alcantara tied the Dozer Park single-game record with his 14th strikeout of the game. Bolt drew a two-out walk and Rodriguez singled home Siddall for a 4-2 Snappers lead. Alcantara finished off his record day as Chavez flew out to right to end the sixth.
The Chiefs battled back in the bottom of the eight when Chris Chinea singled off Beloit reliever Kevin Johnson. With two outs Leobaldo Pina walked and Jhohan Acevedo was hit by pitch to load the bases. With the tying runs aboard Magneuris Sierra reached on a fielding error by Edwin Diaz at shortstop as Chinea scored to cut the Beloit lead to 4-3. Dylan Becker, who replaced Peralta in the seventh, beat out an infield single to shortstop to tie the game as Pina scored. Trent Gilbert, the Beloit second baseman, made a fantastic play to keep the game tied as he spun into the outfield grass and threw out Sosa by a half step to end the inning.
Beloit regained the lead in the top of the ninth against Luke Harrison. Diaz hit a lead off solo home run down the left-field line and despite an argument from Chiefs manager Joe Kruzel that the ball stayed in the stadium, Beloit led 5-4.
With one last chance the Chiefs loaded the bases against two pitchers in the bottom of the ninth. Armando Ruiz walked Alvarez and hit Chinea before giving way to Corey Miller. Craig Aikin pinch ran for Chinea and both runners moved up a base on a deep fly out to center by RJ Dennard. Miller intentionally walked Thomas Spitz to load the bases with the tying run at third and the winning run at second. Miller struck out pinch-hitter Brian O’Keefe and pinch-hitter Jose Godoy grounded to short to end the game.
Alcantara took the no decision allowing four runs on a season high seven hits and setting a new career best with 14 strikeouts while walking two in six innings. Juan Perez pitched 1 1/3 innings of shutout baseball in relief and allowed three hits and walked two. Harrison (1-1) took the loss allowing one run on one hit over 1 2/3 innings with three strikeouts.
