PEORIA, IL – The Chiefs led by four runs entering the seventh inning, but a five-run, two-homer rally by Wisconsin led to a 7-5 demise on Saturday night at Dozer Park.
With the loss, the Chiefs fall to 14-17, dropping two of the last three to the Timber Rattlers.
For the second straight game, Peoria jumped on the board first, as Tai Peete doubled and Rainiel Rodriguez drove him home on a single for a 1-0 first inning lead.
Tanner Franklin worked one over the minimum through two innings, but allowed an RBI groundout to Marco Dinges in the third, which tied the game at one. The righty bounced back to strand a runner on third.
Jesús Báez put the Chiefs back in front in the bottom of the inning, roping an RBI single to score Tre Richardson III, making it 2-1.
Wisconsin starter Ethan Dorchies settled in after the early trouble, working 1-2-3 fourth and fifth innings. On the other side of the book, Franklin struck out four in 3.2 innings of work, leaving with a man on first in the fourth.
With Dorchies still in the game in the sixth, Peoria gained some separation. After a hit by pitch to Cade McGee and single by José Suárez, Won-Bin Cho lasered a line-drive home run to center field off the batters’ eye, extending the lead to 5-1.
The game turned in the seventh inning as the Timber Rattlers played longball. Luis Castillo brought Wisconsin back within two with an opposite-field, two-run homer.
After a bounce back strikeout from Gerardo Salas, back-to-back singles brought the go-ahead run to the plate. Salas again beared down, punching out Braylon Payne. However, the next batter, Marco Dinges provided the game-deciding blast: a three-run homer to right field, delivering a 6-5 lead for Wisconsin.
The T-Rats added a run in the eighth, while the Chiefs failed to manage a base runnner in the final three frames.
The series will wrap up Sunday afternoon at 2:05 pm. Tickets are available at PeoriaChiefs.com.