By WJBC Staff
DAVENPORT, Iowa – The Peoria Chiefs scored seven runs in the sixth inning of game one and four runs in the seventh inning of game two in a double header sweep of the first-place Quad Cities River Bandits on Monday.
Peoria won game one 8-6, rallied two win game two 6-3 and return home for seven games with a 23-22 record.
In game one starting pitchers Austin Gomber and Kevin Comer kept the game scoreless through four and a half innings. Quad Cities grabbed the first run of the game when Ryan Bottger led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run, his second of the season.
The Chiefs, who hadn’t scored in more than 20 innings, came back in a big way in the top of the sixth. With one out Comer walked Darren Seferina and Oscar Mercado singled to right. Both moved up on a wild pitch and Vaughn Bryan’s third hit of the game tied the score 1-1. Mercado came home from third on an error by Jacob Nottingham at first base to put the Chiefs on top 2-1. Celebrating his 23rd birthday,
Danny Diekroeger pinch-hit for Nick Thompson and launched his first home run of the season, a three-run shot to center for a 5-1 Chiefs lead. Quad Cities changed pitchers and with two outs, Magneuris Sierra singled off Eric Peterson and Blake Drake put the Chiefs on top 7-1 with his team-leading fifth home run of the season.
Three straight singles with one out in the bottom of the sixth ended Gomber’s afternoon. Tyler Bray took over and walked both batters he faced to force in two runs and cut the Chiefs lead to 7-3. A sacrifice fly cut the lead to 7-4 before Robby Rowland got out of the jam.
The Chiefs added a crucial insurance run in the seventh as Mercado double and scored on a sacrifice fly from Ringo for an 8-4 lead. Quad Cities cut the Chiefs lead to 8-6 in the bottom of the inning as Jacob Nottingham clubbed his eighth homer of the season. Jason Martin singled with two outs to bring the tying run up but Rowland got a fly out to end the game.
Gomber (4-3) got the win allowing four runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings while walking two and striking out five. Bray walked both batters he faced to force in two runners he inherited from Gomber. Rowland earned his ninth save allowing two runs on three hits over 1 2/3 innings.
Game two started much the same as game one with neither team scoring early. Peoria grabbed the first run with help from the River Bandits defense in the top of the third. Mott Hyde’s error at second base allowed Seferina to reach with two outs. Mercado doubled to left field to easily score Seferina for a 1-0 lead.
The Bandits tied the game with an unearned run of their own in the bottom of the inning. With Kender Villegas cruising on the mound, Andrew Sohn made a throwing error with two outs as Jamie Ritchie reached. Hyde walked and Nick Lomascolo took over on the mound for Villegas before Derek Fisher tied the game with a single to center.
Another Quad Cities error behind Francis Martes allowed the Chiefs to regain in the lead in the fourth. Ringo led off with a single and Luis Cruz singled to center. Diekroeger lined out to third and Tanielu’s throw to first in an attempt to double off Cruz was wild allowing Ringo to move to third. The Chiefs took a 2-1 lead when Sierra’s fly ball to left was deep enough to score Ringo.
Quad Cities took the lead in the fifth. Ritchie singled to start the inning and with one out Jhonny Polanco took over on the mound for Lomascolo. Fisher greeted the Chiefs right-hander with a long home run over the party deck and toward the Mississippi River for a 3-2 Bandits lead.
The Chiefs took advantage of another River Bandits error to win the game in the top of the seventh. Tanielu dropped a pop up off the bat of Drake to start the inning and Sohn followed with a single. Seferina walked to load the bases and Mercado put the Chiefs on top 4-3 with a single to left. With one out, Ringo singled to right to bring home Seferina and Mercado for a 6-3 Chiefs lead. Kyle Grana closed the door in the bottom of the inning for his sixth save of the season.
Villegas allowed one unearned run and no hits over 2 2/3 innings while walking two and striking out five in his first start in three years. Lomascolo allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out one in 1 2/3 innings. Polanco (1-0) allowed one run on one hit and one walk over 1 2/3 innings to earn the win. Grana walked two in a hitless and shutout inning for his sixth save.
Jay to rehab
The St. Louis Cardinals and Peoria Chiefs have announced that outfielder Jon Jay will begin a rehab stint in the Midwest League when the Chiefs host the Clinton LumberKings at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Jay, who was placed on the disabled list May 14 with left wrist tendonitis, will be the Chiefs first Major League rehab since Jake Westbrook started against Quad Cities on June 9, 2013. The last time a position player rehabbed with the Chiefs was Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez June 19-20, 2010. Jay’s rehab stint will likely last 2-3 games as the Chiefs host Clinton at 7:00 p.m. on both Wednesday and Thursday. Jay missed three games with the Cardinals before landing on the 15-day DL with a bone bruise on his left thumb. He had surgery on the wrist after the NLCS last October.
In 30 games this season, the 30-year-old is batting .248 with two doubles, 11 runs scored and six RBI. Last year he played in 140 games with a .303 average, 16 doubles, three triples, three homers, 36 RBI and 52 runs scored. Now in his sixth MLB season, Jay is a career .292 hitter with a .358 OBP, 311 runs scored, 223 RBI and 110 doubles. Jay finished 10th in the National League with a .305 batting average in 2012 and led the N.L. with 14 hit by pitches last year. Last season Jay committed just two errors and he has yet to commit an error in 30 games this season.
A native of Miami, Florida, Jay was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2006 draft out of the University of Miami. Jay made his Cardinals debut April 26, 2010 after spending parts of five seasons in the Minor Leagues. He made his pro debut in the Midwest League in 2006 with the Swing of the Quad Cities batting .342 with 13 doubles, three triples, three homers, nine steals, 45 RBI and 42 runs scored in 60 games after the draft.
The Chiefs return home Tuesday after a four-game series in Quad Cities. In addition to the three games against Clinton, the Chiefs will host the Kane County Cougars for four games starting Friday.
