Peoria Winning Streak Snapped in Walk-Off Fashion

Midland, MI - The Great Lakes Loons needed just one pitch in the bottom of the 10th to squeak past the Chiefs 3-2 on Wednesday. With the loss, the Chiefs had their four-game winning streak snapped, one shy of their longest of the season.

Great Lakes had Peoria on the ropes in the first inning but starter Wilfredo Pereira did not break. After a pair of singles, a hit by pitch loaded the bases with two outs for Aldrich De Jongh. On his 30th pitch of the inning, Pereira got De Jongh to pop out to end the inning.

In the third, the Loons were able to scratch a run on consecutive hits. After a double from Diego Cartaya, Imanol Vargas singled him home to make it a 1-0 ballgame.

The Chiefs answered quickly in the fourth and were ultimately able to seesaw in front. After LJ Jones hit a long foul ball, he straightened out the next pitch and mashed a homer over the left field wall to knot the game at 1-1. For Jones, it was his team-leading 11th home run of the season. Later in the frame, Francisco Hernandez looped a two-out single to right field and promptly swiped second to move into scoring position for Luis Rodriguez. The Peoria catcher grounded a ball to third where Jorbit Vivas fielded and threw high of first to score Hernandez and push Peoria in front, 2-1.

From there, Pereira was locked in. After laboring through the first three frames, Pereira ventured into the sixth and was lifted after 5.2 innings of work. The right-hander scattered just five hits and whiffed seven. Nathanael Heredia entered to get the final out of the sixth.

After an uneventful seventh, Cartaya, the Dodgers top prospect, knotted the game in the eighth. His solo homer off of Heredia tied the game at 2-2. For Cartaya, it was his fourth hit of the series and ninth home run on the season.

The teams traded zeroes in the ninth with Peoria reliever Andre Granillo striking out the side to send the game into extra innings. In the tenth, drama ensued. Tommy Jew started the inning at second as the appointed ghost runner. After a second Vivas error allowed Todd Lott to reach, a double steal moved Jew to third and Lott to second with nobody out. Osvaldo Tovalin, who already had a pair of hits on the night, grounded out against a drawn-in infield for the first out of the frame. Then, Jacob Buchberger tapped a ball toward first. After a brief bobble by the first baseman Vargas, his throw home was in time to beat Jew on a bang-bang play. The throw, which was wide of the plate, was snagged by Cartaya who reached around his back to apply the tag. Following the play, Peoria skipper Patrick Anderson was ejected after a brief argument with home plate umpire Justin Juska. Still, with two outs in the inning the Chiefs had an opportunity. Jones, who homered earlier, just missed his second blast of the night as his deep fly out ended in the inning.

In the home half of the frame, the Loons needed just one run. On the only pitch of the inning, Luis Diaz bunted toward first. Peoria’s Tovalin charged and attempted to get the lead runner at third but his throw sailed into left field to score Harold Restituyo.

The series continues Thursday from Midland, Michigan. Zane Mills will start for Peoria. First pitch is slated for 7:05 EST/6:05 CST.