Chiefs Fall in Back-and-Forth Finale,8-6

APPLETON, WI - The Peoria Chiefs dropped the final game of their six-game series with Wisconsin on Sunday, falling 8-6.

Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth, the Timber Rattlers sent eight batters to the plate and scored four runs to take control. With runners on first and second and one out, Luiyin Alastre ripped a double to tie the game at four. Juan Baez followed with a single to left, scoring Alastre to make it 5-4. Later in the inning, with two outs and two aboard, Marco Dinges delivered an RBI single to stretch the lead to 6-4.

An inning later, Wisconsin extended the lead. With a runner on and one out, Daniel Guilarte launched a two-run homer to left to make it 8-4.

Peoria chipped away in the eighth inning, scoring on a wild pitch with two outs to bring home Ryan Campos and cut the deficit to 8-5. In the ninth, Brayden Jobert added an RBI double with two outs to make it 8-6, but Wisconsin right-hander Aaron Rund recorded the final out to notch the save and close out the win.

Wisconsin jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. After a leadoff single, Eduardo Garcia tripled to make it 1-0. Blake Burke followed with an RBI groundout to bring in Garcia and extend the lead to 2-0.

A half inning later, the Chiefs cut the deficit in half. With two on and two outs, a single by Zach Levenson to center brought in a run and made it 2-1.

In the fourth inning, Peoria took the lead. With one out and a man aboard, a home run to left by Levenson made it 3-2. Later in the frame, with two outs and a man at second base, a double by Jon Jon Gazdar made it 4-2.

Despite the late push from the Chiefs, the early-inning momentum and big sixth inning from Wisconsin proved to be the difference.

Peoria will return home on Tuesday night to begin a six-game series with the Quad Cities River Bandits. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. Tuesday is also another Bark in the Park at Dozer Park.