CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Jack Gurevitch belted two of Peoria’s four home runs on the day as part of a three-hit, four-RBI afternoon to lead the Chiefs over the Kernels 10-6 Wednesday.
After not leading in the series opener on Tuesday, the Kernels got on the board first on Wednesday. In the bottom of the first inning, a Jacob McCombs hit-by-pitch and a Dameury Pena single put two on for Danny De Andrade, who kept his big month of July going with a two-run double to put Cedar Rapids in front 2-0.
The Kernels added on in the second. A Graham Brown single, followed by walks from Ricardo Pena and Pena, loaded the bases for Eduardo Tait, who upped the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single.
In the top of the third, the Chiefs got on the board. With one out, Jack Gurevitch blasted a solo home run the opposite way to cut the Peoria deficit to 3-1.
Cedar Rapids got that run back in the bottom of the fourth. Brown was hit by a pitch to begin the inning, and after he stole second, he scored on an Andy Lugo RBI double to grow the advantage to 4-1.
Peoria rallied back from there. First in the top of the fifth, Tai Peete singled in front of Gurevitch, who scored him all the way from first on an RBI double to make it 4-2.
Then, in the sixth, the Chiefs took the lead. With one out, Jose Saurez homered to left to bring it to a one-run game, 4-3. The next batter, Matt Dattalo, singled in front of Cameron Nickens, who pushed Peoria in front 5-4 with a two-run home run.
They continued to tally on in the seventh. Gurevitch walked to get aboard for Josh Kross, who connected on a two-run shot to center to grow the Chiefs’ advantage to 7-4.
The Kernels responded in the bottom of the inning. Ricardo Pena walked to start the frame, and after a sacrifice moved him to second and a Damerury Pena single put him on third, he scored on a Tait RBI double to pull Cedar Rapids within two, 7-5.
But the Chiefs didn’t slow down. In the eighth, back-to-back two-out doubles from Nickens and Peete combined to plate a run to make it 8-5. A batter later, Gurevitch struck again, his second home run of the game, a two-run shot to left, ballooned the Peoria advantage to 10-5.
In the bottom of the inning, the Kernels began to fight back. A Miguel Briceno walk, a Lugo double, and a McCombs hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Damerury Pena, who plated a run with an RBI double to make it 10-6 and bring the tying run to the plate in Tait. But Christian Worley got out of the jam for Peoria and pitched a perfect ninth inning to lock down the Chiefs 10-6 win.
The Kernels fall to 38-58 with the defeat and to 7-25 in the second half. The series with Peoria continues Thursday at 6:35 with Adrian Bohorquez on the mound opposite Ty Van Dyke.