Late Rally Defeats Chiefs Wednesday 

Peoria, IL- The Chiefs squandered a late four-run lead Wednesday afternoon, falling to the Beloit Sky Carp 8-5 at Dozer Park.

Trailing 5-1 in the eighth, Beloit put runners on second and third with no outs against Gustavo Rodriguez. Jacob Berry hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-2. After a flyout, Jake Thompson blasted a two-run home run to right field to cut the Peoria lead to 5-4.

In the ninth, Beloit loaded the bases with no one out. Nathanael Heredia surrendered a single to Kahlil Watson which tied the game. A Jacob Berry SAC fly made it 6-5. The next batter, Yiddi Cappe, followed with a two-run single to make it 8-5.

Rodriguez was charged for five runs in his inning of work, taking the loss.

It looked as if the game would be a low-scoring affair with both starters working into the seventh inning. Peoria starter Alex Cornwell was able to complete seven innings, allowing an unearned run on six hits. The left-hander tied a season high with seven punchouts.

The lone run he allowed came in the top of the fourth. Cappe, who collected four hits in the contest, singled and was on third when Josh Zamora hit one under the glove of shortstop Jeremy Rivas to make it 1-0.

Peoria got the run back against Beloit starter Gabe Bierman in the bottom of the fifth. He walked Jimmy Crooks and Rivas to start the innings. He then hit Osvaldo Tovalin to load the bases. Ramon Mendoza hit a SAC fly to tie the game at 1-1.

Mendoza now has three sacrifice flies in the series to improve the team total to 26, the most in the Midwest League.

With the game tied at one entering the home half of the seventh, Peoria loaded the bases with three straight singles off Bierman, all coming with one out. Caleb Wurster entered and got a strikeout for out number two. Wurster then faced Tyler Reichenborn and delivered his 0-and-1 pitch to the backstop, allowing the go-ahead run. One pitch later, Reichenborn launched a three-run home run to left to make it a 5-1 game.

Bierman was tagged for four runs over his 6.1 innings of work, giving up five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

The Chiefs fall to 24-29 while Beloit improves to 24-28. Game three of the series is Thursday at 6:35 P.M.