Sky Carp Prevail 2-1 in Wednesday Pitching Duel

PEORIA, IL – In a game that featured just three runs Wednesday, the Beloit Sky Carp grinded out a 2-1 win over the Peoria Chiefs at Dozer Park.

Beloit’s Jacob Miller and Peoria’s Brycen Mautz each made their High-A debuts on Wednesday morning.

The pair traded zeroes into the third inning until Yiddi Cappe broke a scoreless tie with a line drive home run to left field. It was just the second home run surrendered by Chiefs pitching this season.

An inning later, after forcing Mautz from the game, the Sky Carp doubled their lead. With two outs in the fourth, Brett Roberts doubled home a run off of Peoria reliever Nathanael Heredia to make it a 2-0 score. The run was charged to Mautz, who was charged with two runs over 3 ⅓ innings. He whiffed six Beloit batters, tied for the most in a game this season for a Peoria pitcher.

The Chiefs cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning. Anyelo Encarnacion, slapped a double of his own to make it a 2-1 score. Encarnacion has reached base in six of his first seven plate appearances to begin the year.

After a bullpen battle ensued, Peoria threatened in the bottom of the eighth. Dakota Harris led off the inning with a ringing double down the left field line. Sky Carp reliever Evan Taylor responded by punching out the side to end the threat and keep the Chiefs off the board.

In the ninth, Peoria brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Osvaldo Tovalin. The first baseman flied to the warning track in right field to end the game. Miller, who completed five innings Wednesday, earned the win. Taylor locked down the save by recording the game’s final six outs.

Game three of the series is set for Thursday at 6:35 p.m. Cooper Hjerpe will make his second start of the season, his first at Dozer Park in 2024.