Five-Run Fourth Powers Chiefs Past Kernels

PEORIA, ILL - Peoria used a five-run fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie and take a lead it would never lose in a series-opening 7-2 win over Cedar Rapids Tuesday night.

The Chiefs opened the scoring in the last of the first. Rainiel Rodriguez doubled with one out, and two batters later came in to score on a Josh Kross RBI single to put Peoria on top 1-0.

That stayed the score until the top of the fourth. To lead off the inning, Jacob McCombs blasted his first high-A home run, a solo shot to right, to pull the Kernels even 1-1.

But the Chiefs untied it quickly. In the bottom of the inning, three straight singles loaded the bases with no one out. After a flyout, Anyelo Encarnación belted a grand slam to right to jump Peoria back ahead 5-1. After a pair of walks put two more runners on, Kross roped an RBI double down the right field line to grow the lead to 6-1.

Peoria added another in the sixth. Encarnación doubled to open the frame, and Tai Peete drove him in with an RBI triple to make it 7-1.

The Kernels got a run back in the top of the seventh. Andy Lugo worked a walk and scored from first on a Jaime Ferrer single after Ferrer got in a rundown between first and second. The run brought Cedar Rapids within five at 7-2, but they would not get any closer in the series-opening loss.

The loss drops the Kernels to 7-9 on the season and pulls the Chiefs even at 2-2 in the season series. This six-game set continues Wednesday at 11:05 a.m. Dasan Hill gets the start opposite Tanner Franklin.