Peoria Rally Falls Just Short in 5-4 Defeat

PEORIA, IL – The Peoria Chiefs battled back from an early deficit on Sunday but came up short in a 5-4 loss to Wisconsin.

The ninth inning proved crucial in what was a one-run contest. With Wisconsin leading 4-3 in the top of the frame, Daniel Guilarte hit a high chopper to Peoria third baseman Jon Jon Gazdar. The throw to first eluded Trey Paige and rolled into the first base dugout, allowing Guilarte to advance to second on a dead ball. The Timber Rattlers immediately cashed it in when Hedbert Perez doubled to the wall in center. The add-on run was critical, as Paige uncorked a two-bagger of his own to open the bottom of the ninth. He later scored on an RBI ground, but the Chiefs could get no closer. Peoria dropped to 1-8 in games decided by one run this season.

Cardinals No. 13 prospect Chen-Wei Lin made his High-A debut on Sunday after beginning the year on the IL. Lin dazzled in the first inning, topping out at 101 MPH on the radar gun as part of a 1-2-3 frame.

In the second inning, Wisconsin got on the board. With two outs, Yhoswar Garcia delivered a timely single to bring home the first run. Later in the inning, with men on the corners, Garcia attempted to steal second. Catcher Ryan Campos threw high in the direction of second base when Lin cut off the throw. He turned and fired to third base in an effort to nab the lead runner Juan Baez, who broke for home. Lin’s throw sailed into the left field bullpen, clearing the bases and allowing two runs to score.

An inning later, Jadher Areinamo delivered a one-out RBI single to left field that extended the lead to 4-0.

Peoria got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two on and one out, Trey Paige lined an RBI single to right. The next batter, Tre Richardson, doubled to center to drive in another run and cut the deficit to 4-2.

The Chiefs bullpen kept Peoria in the game. D.J. Carpenter, Cade Winquest, Tanner Jacobson and Tyler Bradt combined to cover 6 ⅓ innings. The group did not allow an earned run and punched out five.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Chiefs trimmed the deficit to one. With a runner on third and one out, Miguel Villarroel hit a ground ball to short, bringing in a run to make it 4-3.

Peoria’s last gasp came up just in the ninth, as they dropped to 1-8 in one-run contests this season. The Chiefs wrapped up their two-week homestand with a 5-7.

Following an off day on Monday, the Chiefs travel to Cedar Rapids to kick off a six-game set on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.