GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Chiefs offense lit up the scoreboard for 24 runs on 21 hits, blasting the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 24-7 on Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field. The team’s 24 runs are the most in a single game since at least 2005.
Peoria scored in eight of nine innings, and all nine hitters collected at least one hit. Chief among them was Tai Peete, who doubled in the fourth inning, singled and homered in the seventh and tripled in the ninth to complete the Chiefs first cycle in over eight years. Stefan Trosclair was the last to complete the feat against Beloit on August 4, 2017.
The Chiefs tallied two first inning runs, highlighted by an RBI single from Jesus Báez, his first of six RBIs.
Wisconsin responded with a run in the bottom of the inning and then took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second on a two-out, two-RBI double by Blayberg Diaz.
Peoria regained the lead for good with a three-run third inning, as Báez connected for a two-run homer and Miguel Villarroel poked an RBI double to make it 5-3. A Báez sac fly pushed it to 6-3 in the fourth inning, and RBI singles from Jose Cordoba and Tre Richardson III in the fifth ballooned the score to 8-3.
Baylon Payne hit a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning, which eventually chased Chiefs’ starter Leonel Sequera after 4.1 innings. He was charged for just two earned runs, finishing with five strikeouts.
Ian Petrutz became the last Chief to notch a hit, an RBI single in the sixth. Then, the rout was on in the seventh.
Peoria’s lineup caught fire, scoring 10 runs on four hits, thanks in part to six walks. Peete and Báez collected the first two RBI knocks of the inning, and Peete capped the storm with a line-drive three-run home run to right field, making it 19-4.
The T-Rats responded with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Chiefs took the onslaught a step further in the eighth. Peoria loaded the bases with one out for Villarroel, who blasted a tape-measure grand slam off the top of the left field videoboard to push the lead to 23-6.
Wisconsin scored on an Andrew Fischer RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, but then sent second baseman Juan Baez to the mound to pitch the ninth. Peete pounced on the second pitch of the inning and smoked a line drive to right center field for a triple, completing the cycle. He came in to score on a Jesus Báez sac fly, for Báez’s sixth run driven in.
The victory snaps a five game losing streak for the Chiefs, who improve to 4-8.
The series continues tomorrow night in Wisconsin, with first pitch set for 6:40 pm, with Blake Aita set to start on the mound. Fans can listen to the hometown call for free on PeoriaChiefs.com.
The Chiefs return to Dozer Park on Tuesday to open a six-game series with Cedar Rapids. Tickets are available at PeoriaChiefs.com.
