Chiefs Split Thursday DH in Iowa

Cedar Rapids, IA -  The Peoria Chiefs and Cedar Rapids Kernels both got a win on Thursday after resuming Wednesday's suspended game and playing the regularly scheduled contest. The Chiefs won the opener 4-2 and lost the nightcap 4-0 and are now 70-51 on the season.

  Wednesday's game was suspended by rain after six batters and resumed Thursday at 6:06 p.m., 31 minutes after originally scheduled. Cedar Rapids scored immediately as Ben Rodriguez doubled off reliever Alvaro Seijas to score Ryan Jeffers who singled Wednesday night in the rain. Seijas got a strike out to end the inning and strand two Kernels in scoring position.
     As Seijas cruised through the Cedar Rapds lineup, Blayne Enlow did the same against Peoria hitters. Finally facing the bullpen the Chiefs broke through in the eighth inning with a monster two-out rally. Nick Plummer started the rally with a single and moved to second when Luken Baker walked. Julio Rodriguez tied the game 1-1 with a single to center. Brandon Bendon doubled to left to give the Chiefs a 2-1 lead before Brandon Riley drew a walk. Rayder Ascanio put the Chiefs on top 4-1 with a single to left that beat the shift. The Kernels scored an unearned run in the bottom of the inning to provide the final score.
     Zach Prendergast started the game on Wednesday and threw 18 pitches in the rain. He was charged with one run on two hits over 1/3 of an inning while he struck out one. Seijas (5-7) earned the win as he allowed six hits over 6 2/3 shutout innings with two strikeouts and three walks. Robbie Gordon allowed an unearned run on one hit and one walk in 1/3 of an inning. Patrick Dayton earned his second save with 1 2/3 perfect innings and two strikeouts.
     Game two started at 9:30 p.m. with two regular relievers on the mound as starters, Melvi Acosta for the Kernels and Thomas St. Clair for the Chiefs. St. Clair made his first career professional start and allowed four runs to the first 11 batters as Cedar Rapids scored all of the game's runs in the first two innings.
    St. Clair (2-4) allowed four runs on four hits and three walks in one inning. Ben Yokley allowed one hit over three shutout innings as he struck out two. CJ Saylor struck out one in a perfect inning as did Kodi Whitley.
Notes… With 70 wins the Chiefs surpassed last year's win total and assured themselves of a winning season…Fill-in Chiefs manager Mark DeJohn was ejected from game one for arguing a play at the plate where Ascanio was called out for making contact on a bunt attempt while out of the batters box…Pitching coach Cale Johnson served as manager for the final four innings…Baker extended his hit streak to six games in the opener but went hitless in the nightcap...Gorman had his five-game hit streak end in game one…With a walk in the opener and a single in the nightcap he has still reached safely in every game in a Chiefs uniform…Plummer drew his 110^th career walk, tying Tim Lemon (2000-03) for third on the Chiefs career list…Lemon walked 110 times in 438 career games while Plummer reached the mark in his 181^st career game…The Chiefs hit into two double plays in game two and set a new single-season mark with 114 breaking the record set in 2005 and tied in 2016…St. Clair has allowed 11 earned runs all seasons, nine of them against Cedar Rapids…This was just the second time all season he has allowed more than one run in an outing and both are against the Kernels…Friday's game will determine the season series as the Chiefs and Kernels are 6-6 head-to-head…The game two loss snapped a six-game Chiefs win streak against the Kernels…The 6:35 p.m. series finale features Chiefs RH Angel Rondon (3-0, 2.29) against Kernels RH Jordan Balazovic (6-3, 4.13)…The broadcast can be heard, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:20 p.m. on www.peoriachiefs.com/listenlive and is also available on the Peoria Chiefs Network in the Tune-In Radio App…The game is also available to subscribers on MiLB.TV.