Chiefs Fall to Clinton 6-4 on Friday

Peoria, IL - The Peoria Chiefs hit a pair of home runs but lost the opener of a four-game series against the Clinton LumberKings on Friday night, 6-4. The Chiefs are 26-34 overall and take on the LumberKings Saturday with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.
    The Chiefs took the first lead of the game in the second inning against Clinton starter Brandon Miller. Andy Young was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Ryan McCarvel hit a monster home run to dead-center field to give Peoria a 2-0 lead. The homer traveled a projected 455 feet to center field and cleared the batters eye before landing in the playground beyond the wall.

  Clinton got on the board against Chiefs starter Ian Oxnevad in the third inning. With two outs, Joe Rizzo reached on an error by Jose Martinez and Bryson Brigman singled to center. Anthony Jimenez singled to left and Rizzo scored to make it a 2-1 Chiefs lead as a throwing error advanced Brigman and Jimenez to second and third. Gareth Morgan walked to load the bases and Ryan Scott drove in all three baserunners with a double to right-center that gave the LumberKings a 4-2 lead.
    The LumberKings added to their lead in the fourth inning against Oxnevad. With one out Luis Liberato hit a home run to right field that gave Clinton a 5-2 lead. It was the first home run allowed to a left-handed hitter this season by the Chiefs southpaw.
    Peoria shortened the Clinton lead in the sixth with Miller on the mound. Andrew Knizner clubbed his eighth homer of the year to left field with one out to make it a 5-3 deficit.
    In the top of the eighth, the LumberKings extended their lead against Chiefs reliever Max Almonte. Morgan led off the inning with a solo home run to center field that gave Clinton a 6-3 advantage.
    Peoria fought back in the eighth against LumberKings reliever Jefeson Medina. Martinez led off with a walk and J.R. Davis was hit by a pitch. Stefan Trosclair hit a ground ball to third that could have been a double play, but the throw to second pulled Rengifo off the bag and Clinton could only get the out at first. Knizner grounded out to second and Martinez scored to make it 6-4, with Davis advancing to third on the play. Young worked a two-out walk to extend the inning and put the tying run on base, but Michael Koval came out of the bullpen for Clinton and got McCarvel to ground out to second and end the inning.  
    Oxnevad (0-7) took the loss as he worked five innings while allowing five runs, one earned on seven hits, walking two and striking out three. Frederis Parra threw two innings of scoreless baseball, allowing two hits and a walk with a pair of strikeouts. Almonte went one inning of relief allowing one run on one hit. Ronnie Williams pitched the ninth, allowing one hit and striking out two.
Notes… The homer was McCarvel's first since April 25 in Quad Cities where he hit his fifth of the season with a span of 92 at-bats between homers… Friday was the first time since the Midwest League All-Star teams were announced that all three Chiefs position players selected were in the same starting lineup… The Chiefs have hit 50 home runs this season, which surpasses the 2016 team total of 49…The homer Almonte allowed in the eighth was his first as a pro after 225 batters faced, and the first he's allowed since he was a sophomore at Villanova… The Chiefs have lost the first game of a series for the third-straight series… Peoria is 12-12 in games when they score first… The Chiefs are 0-29 when trailing entering the ninth inning, and are 7-19 when allowing five or more runs… Peoria is 2-8 after winning back-to-back games… The Chiefs continue their series against the Clinton LumberKings on Saturday with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch at Dozer Park… The 2002 Championship Weekend continues on Saturday with post-game fireworks presented by Pekin Insurance… The first 1,000 fans in attendance (ages 13 and up) will receive a Dan Haren bobblehead presented by Taco Bell… Saturday is also Swing for a Cure night at Dozer Park… It's a Signature Saturday presented by Brimfield Insurance Agency, with select Chiefs players available to sign autographs pre-game on the main concourse… The Chiefs send RH Austin Sexton (1-0, 1.13) to the mound against Clinton RHP Ronald Dominguez (0-3, 4.15)… 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.