PEORIA, ILL - Jack Gurevitch broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to give Peoria a 4-1 lead it would not lose in a 5-4 victory over Cedar Rapids Friday night.
For the fourth time in as many games in the series, the Kernels scored first. In the top of the first inning, Brandon Winokur smashed a solo home run to left to put Cedar Rapids in front 1-0.
But that was the lone Cedar Rapids lead of the night. In the second, the Chiefs pulled even. Christian Martin singled to begin the inning, and after he stole second, he moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Jose Cordoba RBI single to tie the game 1-1.
It stayed that way until the fifth. A hit-by-pitch and a single put two on for Jack Gurevitch, who launched a three-run home run to centerfield to jump the Chiefs ahead 4-1.
The Kernels got one back in the sixth inning. To begin the frame, Andy Lugo blasted his second home run of the year, a solo shot to left, to make it 4-2.
Cedar Rapids got within one in the seventh. Khadim Diaw tripled to begin the inning, and a batter later came in to score on a Quinn McDaniel RBI single to trim the deficit to 4-3.
The Chiefs responded with a big run of insurance in the bottom of the inning. Jesús Báez slugged a solo homer to open the frame, doubling the Peoria lead to 5-3.
That run proved to be the difference in the ninth. With one out, Diaw worked a walk and moved to second on a groundout. A batter later, Jacob McCombs doubled off the wall to score Diaw and make it a one-run game. But Peoria’s Patrick Galle stranded the game’s tying run with a strikeout to lock down the 5-4 win.
The loss drops the Kernels to 23-20 on the season and to 2-2 in the series in Peoria. Game five of the set is Saturday at 6:35. Ivran Romero gets the start opposite Leonel Sequera.