Fajardo strikes out 10, Chiefs race past South Bend
South Bend, IN – In the first game after the All-Star Break, the Chiefs got back to business in a hurry, as Yhoiker Fajardo struck out 10 South Bend Cubs in five innings and his offense backed him up with a six-run fourth inning in a 9-3 victory on Friday
South Bend, IN – In the first game after the All-Star Break, the Chiefs got back to business in a hurry, as Yhoiker Fajardo struck out 10 South Bend Cubs in five innings and his offense backed him up with a six-run fourth inning in a 9-3 victory on Friday night at Four Winds Field.
With the win, Peoria moves to 9-12 in the second half.
Fajardo’s 10-strikeout performance is the first by a Chief since Brycen Mautz struck out 12 on August 20, 2024.
The Chiefs opened a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Josh Kross socked a triple off the top of the left center field wall, then scored on a wild pitch. In the second, Ian Petrutz doubled that lead to 2-0 with a solo home run pulled down the right field line.
In the meantime, Fajardo struck out five of the first seven batters he faced in the first two frames.
In the third, South Bend turned the momentum, scoring three runs on four hits. Kane Keply made it 2-1 with a sacrifice fly before an RBI single by Josiah Hartshorn tied it and another by Jose Escobar gave the Cubs a 3-2 lead.
The Chiefs punched back in a big way in the fourth inning, pushing in six runs on six hits, all with two outs.
Petrutz re-tied the game with a jam shot RBI single to center. Anyelo Encarnación handed the Chiefs the lead, roping a two-RBI knock into center to make it 5-3. Tai Peete joined the fun with an RBI single to right. After a balk scored another run, Jack Gurevitch singled in Peete to round out the scoring.
On the other side of the book, Peoria didn’t allow another run.
Fajardo bounced back from the third inning rally with a 1-2-3 fourth and completed his outing with his 10th strikeout in the fifth inning, setting a new career high.
Cameron Nickens drove in the Chiefs’ final run of the contest with an RBI single to bring in Michael Dattalo after a leadoff double in the eighth.
Dylan Driessen turned in a scoreless High-A debut in the sixth inning, beginning a run of four scoreless innings from the bullpen to finish the game for the Chiefs.
The series continues on Saturday evening at 6:05 pm central time at Four Winds Field. Chiefs fans can tune into the hometown audio broadcast for free online at PeoriaChiefs.com.