Quad Cities Holds Off Peoria in Wild Affair

Peoria, IL - What started out as a briskly played game turned into a marathon down the stretch as Quad Cities emerged victorious 10-6 in 11 innings Friday. With the loss, the Chiefs fell to 48-64 on the year and the series is now knotted up at two wins apiece

Quad Cities brought in a pair to get the scoring started in the third on a pair of RBI hits from Herard Gonzalez and Dillan Shrum. The Chiefs were held scoreless through their first five trips to the plate until Tommy Jew clanked one off the batter's eye in center field for his fourth homer of the season to slice the deficit to 2-1 after six.

The score stayed the same through the seventh, and in the eighth, Peoria pushed the tying run. With one out in the frame, Tommy Jew singled, swiped second base and advanced to third on a throwing error. With Jew standing 90-feet away, Jacob Buchberger then promptly delivered a single to knot the game up, 2-2.

The River Bandits would not be denied, however. With two outs and two strikes, Dillan Shrum pelted a double to right field to again push the Bandits in front, 3-2.

In the bottom of the frame and down to their final out, Francisco Hernandez was called upon to pinch-hit. Hernandez pummeled an 0-1 curveball over the left field wall to tie the game at 3-3 and send the contest to extras, Peoria’s fourth extra-inning contest in their last 10 games.

With free baseball on tap, Quad Cities was quick to take advantage, as Parker Bates slapped a double into right field to plate the ghost runner Peyton Wilson and push the River Bandits in front 4-3. However, Peoria had another trick up their sleeve, responding in the bottom of the tenth. Tommy Jew, who racked up four hits on the night, ripped a screamer down the left field line to score Mack Chambers and tie the score and send the ballgame to an 11th frame.

In the following half inning, Quad Cities opened the floodgates, sending 12 batters to the plate and bringing across six to take a 10-4 stranglehold on the game. Peoria, who had battled all night, did not go down without a fight, sending the tying run to the plate twice in the bottom of the inning. An LJ Jones RBI double scored Todd Lott to make it a 10-5 score. Then, Tyler Reichenborn smacked a single to bring in Jones and inch the game to 10-6. Hernandez then punched a ground ball to third base that appeared to be a game-ending double play. Instead, Enrique Valdez bobbled the ball and everyone reached safely. Mack Chambers then singled to load the sacks for Wade Stauss who punched out, before Jew had a chance to play hero again. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, he could not deliver on his fifth hit of the evening, flying out to right field to put a bow on the game.

Inohan Paniagua, who took a no-hitter into the seventh in his last start, takes the bump for Peoria. Quad Cities will give the ball to Beck Way. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. Saturday is Hero Night at Dozer Park and superheroes will be roaming the ballpark. A fireworks show will follow the final out.