Dragons Blank Chiefs on Thursday

PEORIA, IL - The Peoria Chiefs were on the wrong end of a pitcher's duel Thursday night at Dozer Park, falling 1-0 to the Dayton Dragons.

Both starting pitchers were dominant. Chiefs right-hander Darlin Saladin tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five. Dayton’s Luke Hayden matched him pitch-for-pitch, working six shutout frames with one hit allowed and six strikeouts.

The game remained scoreless until the top of the eighth inning. Peoria turned to reliever right-hander D.J. Carpenter, who retired the first batter before issuing four straight walks. The final free pass, to Leo Balcazar, brought home the game’s only run. Carpenter responded with back-to-back strikeouts to leave the bases loaded and keep Peoria within striking distance.

The Chiefs mounted their best scoring chance in the bottom of the ninth. Grayson Tarlow led off with a single, just the team’s second hit of the night, and advanced to second on a balk. However, Dayton right-hander Easton Sikorski recorded a strikeout and a groundout to end the contest.

Peoria left just three runners on base in the contest. With the loss, the Chiefs four-game winning streak came to an end and dropped to 17-24 on the season.

The series continues Friday evening with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Gerardo Salas is slated to start for Peoria. It’s also Hockey Night at Dozer Park, with the first 1,000 fans through the gates receiving a mini hockey stick.