Matt Chamberlain’s Heroics Lift Chiefs Over Snappers in Finale

Site: Beloit, WI (ABC Supply Stadium)

Score: Peoria Chiefs 6, Beloit Snappers 4

Records: Peoria (37-59), Beloit (45-51)

Next game: Tuesday, August 24- vs South Bend Cubs (Dozer Park), 6:35 pm

Beloit, WI-- Matt Chamberlain’s two-run homer in the top of the 12th inning helped cap off a hard-fought victory as the Chiefs earned a series split by defeating Beloit 6-4 on Sunday.

The Snappers jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage after tacking on a run in each of the first two innings. Beloit pitcher George Soriano held the Chiefs offense in check through the first three innings, as he recorded six punchouts in the early going.

In the fourth, Peoria broke through. After a Moises Castillo double advanced runners at second and third, Leandro Cedeno scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit in half, 2-1.

Two innings later it was Cedeno again, who celebrated his 23rd birthday Sunday, by mashing a two-run shot to left field, which gave Peoria its first lead of the afternoon.

The Chiefs maintained their one-run advantage into the eighth inning, where the Snappers tied the contest thanks to a pair of defensive mishaps. With a runner at first and no one out, a line drive off the glove of Cedeno deflected away and allowed the Snappers to place runners at first and second. The next batter, Troy Johnston, tapped a routine grounder to shortstop, but Francisco Hernandez, who made multiple diving plays earlier in the contest, fumbled the exchange and the bases were loaded.

After a walk tied the game in the eighth, Tommy Jew redeemed the inning for the Peoria defense, as his diving catch ended the inning and robbed Marcos Rivera of a go-ahead hit. All told, the Chiefs defense made multiple highlight-reel plays in the field, yet committed five errors, tied for a season-high.

After a scoreless ninth, Peoria went down in order to begin the 10th frame. The Snappers loaded the bases against Enmanuel Solano in the bottom half of the frame on a lead-off walk and a base hit. A strikeout and a 6-3 double play turned by Francisco Hernandez helped Solano escape the jam and extend the game for another inning.

The Chiefs struck for a run in the 11th inning to draw first blood in overtime. With Tommy Jew being placed on second base to begin the inning, he advanced to third on a Jordan Walker flyout. Jew later scored on a wild pitch to re-capture the lead at 5-4.

Marcos Rivera led off the bottom of the inning for the Snappers by hitting a comeback ground ball to Solano, who ended up throwing the ball past Jordan Walker and into left field after trying to get the lead runner at third. The error allowed Beloit to tie the contest yet again.

The Chiefs finally broke it open in the 12th. With Todd Lott as the runner at second base, Matt Chamberlain came through in the clutch with a two-run homer with one out in the inning to give Peoria a 6-4 cushion. Sean Kealey came in and shut the door on Beloit, closing out a series split for the Chiefs.

In the contest, the Snappers were just 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position and they were unable to capitalize on many of their opportunities. The Chiefs finished just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, with Chamberlain’s go-ahead blast serving as the lone hit.

The Chiefs are off on Monday. They will resume play at Dozer Park on Tuesday against South Bend, the High-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. First pitch for the series opener is set for 6:35 p.m.

Single Game Ticket Information

August and September single game tickets are now on sale! Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and on Friday’s from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. The box office will be closed for lunch daily between 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The Peoria Chiefs are locally owned and operated and play their games at Dozer Park. The Chiefs are a committed community asset and premier entertainment venue for families and individuals in Central Illinois.