South Bend, IN – South Bend scored 10 runs, including five with two outs, to beat the Chiefs 10-3 in Sunday’s series finale at Four Winds Field. With the loss, the Chiefs drop the series four games to two.
For the second straight day, the Cubs put the Chiefs in a tricky spot, chasing the starting pitcher before the end of the first inning. Blake Aita delivered over 30 pitches in the first, with his final coming on a two-RBI triple to Jose Escobar that opened a 2-0 lead for South Bend.
The lead swelled to 3-0 in the second inning with a sacrifice fly by Kane Kepley.
Peoria punched back to tie the game in the third. With runners on second and third, Jalin Flores pummeled a 0-1 pitch to the left field seats for a game-tying three-run homer.
The homer was the 100th of the season for the Chiefs – marking the first time since 2021 that the club has reached the milestone.
The Chiefs bullpen held the tie until the bottom of the fifth. After Patrick Galle set the first two batters down in order, three straight reached, capped off by a three-run home run from Miguel Useche that put South Bend back ahead 6-3.
Two more two-out runs scored in the sixth to push the deficit to 8-3. Josiah Hartshorn homered for the fourth time in the series in the eighth and South Bend’s final run scored on a wild pitch.
The Chiefs, now 32-31, return to Dozer Park Tuesday night to begin a six-game series with the Dayton Dragons, the Reds High-A affiliate. Tickets are available at PeoriaChiefs.com or by calling the Dozer Park box office.