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Peoria Snaps Skid at Seven, Wins 3-2

June 2, 2023

Appleton, WI- The Peoria Chiefs snapped their seven-game losing streak Thursday with a 3-2 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. With the victory, the Chiefs earned their ninth win of the year against Wisconsin. For the third night in a row, the Chiefs scored first. Osvaldo Tovalin led off the

Appleton, WI- The Peoria Chiefs snapped their seven-game losing streak Thursday with a 3-2 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. With the victory, the Chiefs earned their ninth win of the year against Wisconsin.

For the third night in a row, the Chiefs scored first. Osvaldo Tovalin led off the top of the second with a triple down the right field line. Two batters later, Jimmy Crooks singled Tovalin home to give Peoria the early 1-0 edge. The next batter, Thomas Francisco, joined the hit parade. The first baseman smashed a line drive into the right field corner to plate Crooks. Francisco motored all the way to third for the second Chiefs triple of the inning.

After working out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the first, Chiefs starter Alex Cornwell surrendered a run in the Wisconsin half of the second. With Alex Hall at second and two outs in the inning, Eric Brown Jr. singled to right to cut the deficit to 2-1. Brown was thrown out at second after trying to stretch a single into a double. Following the two-out hit, Cornwell did not allow a runner past first over the next three innings.

Wisconsin starter Cameron Wagoner, who entered the game with a 9.00 ERA, also settled in. He scattered just the two runs over five innings of work. He punched out a pair of Peoria batters.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Timber Rattlers tied the game against Cornwell. After punching out Ben Metzinger and Joe Gray Jr., a two-out double from Eduardo Garcia extended the inning. After a meeting on the mound, Cornwell stayed in to face Je’Von Ward, who he already punched out twice. With the count 2-1, Ward hit a sinking liner toward Chiefs shortstop Jeremy Rivas who couldn’t make the catch. Rivas’s error allowed Garcia to score the tying run and knot the game up at 2-2.

With the losing skid hanging in the balance, the duo of Victor Scott and Nathan Church manufactured the go-ahead run. Scott worked a lead-off walk against Luis Amaya and was moved to second on a Darlin Moquete sac bunt. With Church at the plate, Scott swiped third base, his third steal of the game and his 35th of the year. With the tying-run now 90 feet away, Church hit a high chopper on the infield that allowed Scott to scamper home and give Peoria a 3-2 lead.

From there, Bryan Pope did the rest. Pope allowed just one hit over 3 ⅓ innings to earn the win in relief. He whiffed four batters, including Brown to end the ballgame. The right-hander earned his second win of 2023 and lowered his ERA to 1.95.

The series continues Friday from Appleton. Ian Bedell will start for the Chiefs. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m.