Chiefs Fall 5-3 Thursday

The Peoria Chiefs lost game one of a three-game series to the South Bend Cubs on Thursday night 5-3. The Chiefs are now 12-19 overall and will play game two of the series on Friday night at Dozer Park.
    South Bend scored an unearned in the first inning against Chiefs starter Steve Farinaro. Cubs leadoff man Zack Short doubled to left center field and with two outs Alberto Mineo reached on a fielding error. Short scored on the same play when Stefan Trosclair turned to throw the ball home, but made a throwing error that allowed the runner to cross and gave South Bend a 1-0 lead.

    D.J. Wilson started the third against Farinaro with a single that glanced off Trosclair at first and ended up in center field. The Chiefs righty got Short to fly out to right field, but Brandon Cummins drove in a pair of runs with a homer to right field giving the Cubs a 3-1 advantage.
    The Chiefs got on the board against Cubs starter Manuel Rondon in the third inning. Nick Plummer led off the inning with a walk, J.R. Davis singled to right center, and Tommy Edman singled to left center field to load the bases. Trosclair hit a fly ball to right field deep enough to score Plummer and make it 3-1. Andrew Knizner flew out to left field and Rondon struck out Danny Hudzina while the Chiefs left runners at first and second to end the inning.
    Peoria tied the game in the fourth inning via the long ball against Rondon. With one out, Brian O'Keefe walked and Bryce Denton flew out to right field. Plummer tied the game with his first home run of the season, a two-run blast that made it 3-3.
    In the fifth, South Bend took the lead back from Farinaro. Cummins singled and scored one hitter later when Yeiler Perguero doubled off the wall in left field. The run gave South Bend their second lead of the day, this time 4-3.
    Another run scored in the sixth for the Cubs when Jhonny Pereda singled to right field, and advanced to third on a single by Vimael Machin. Issac Paredes hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Pereda to make it 5-3.
    Farinaro (1-2) allowed five runs and four earned on 10 hits with two strikeouts in the loss. Eric Carter threw one inning without allowing a run, walking one hitter. Estarlin Arias has an inning of work with a strikeout and a walk.
Notes… Knizner extended his hit streak to eight games… Plummer hit his first home run since August 18, 2015 with the GCL Cardinals after missing all of 2016 with a wrist injury… The run scored in the third inning by the Chiefs ended an 11 1/3 inning scoring drought… Edman broke a hitless streak of four games with his hit in the third… The Chiefs are 4-7 in series opening games this season… Farinaro's pickoff of Ayala at first in the second inning is his first of the year, and the Chiefs sixth as a team… Farinaro tied a season-high seven innings pitched… The Chiefs have issued a total of three walks in their last three games… The home stand continues Friday at 6:30 p.m. with game two against the South Bend Cubs… There will be Fireworks following the game presented by ITV-3…Rivalry Weekend continues with the first 1,000 fans 13 & up receiving a Cardinals or Cubs themed Chiefs replica jersey (500 of each)…There will be a post-game Pitch-In For Charity Tennis Ball Toss… The Chiefs will start Cardinals LH John Kilichowski (0-4, 4.91) against Cubs RH Dylan Cease (1-1, 1.88)… The broadcast can be heard, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:15 p.m. on www.peoriachiefs.com/listenlive which also has downloads for a free app on the iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android…The broadcast is also available on the Peoria Chiefs Network in the Tune-In Radio App.