Long Ball Edges Quad Cities Past Peoria

Peoria, IL - After a 118-minute weather delay, Quad Cities picked up right where they left off from Friday night, using an early offensive barrage to topple the Chiefs on Saturday night, 6-2.

Peoria starter Inohan Paniagua, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his last start, was greeted rather rudely on Saturday. Four batters in, Juan Carlos Negret put the River Bandits on top with a no doubt blast just inside the left field foul pole as the visitors jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

One inning later, Quad Cities was at it again. This time, Peyton Wilson did the damage by blasting a ball into the right field picnic area to double the lead to 4-0. Quad Cities added a run in each of the next two innings on a River Town sac fly in the third and a Negret single in the fourth to bolster their advantage, 6-0.

Nick Trogrlic-Iverson emerged from the Peoria bullpen and continued to deal, keeping the deficit cemented at 6-0 while working his way through four blank innings to stretch his August scoreless streak to 15.2 innings.

Come the eighth, Peoria staged a mini rally as they loaded the bases with no one out. The Chiefs cracked the scoreboard after Osvaldo Tovalin bounced into a double play to bring home Francisco Hernandez. One batter later, Todd Lott singled to send Tommy Jew across the dish to make it a 6-2 score. In the ninth, the Chiefs brought the tying run to the on deck circle before a strikeout ended the contest.

The Chiefs will aim for a series split tomorrow afternoon in the series finale, with first pitch tabbed for 1:35. Wilfredo Pereira will toss for the Chiefs while Chandler Champlain gets the ball for the River Bandits.