Quad Cities River Bandits Rip Peoria Chiefs 8-5 - Advanced A, Midwest League

MLN - THE RAW FEED - www.mlntherawfeed.com - Davenport, IA – The Peoria Chiefs dropped the first game of a four-game series against the Quad Cities River Bandits 8-5 on Tuesday night in front of a Modern Woodman Park record 6,822 fans. The loss ends a four game Peoria win streak and sends their first half record to 28-36 with six games left before the All-Star break.

     Peoria starter Chris Siegfried retired the first five River Bandits he faced with three strikeouts. But with two down in the second, Tommy Pham connected on a solo homer for a 1-0 Bandits lead. The home run was Pham’s eighth on the season and fourth against the Chiefs.

     The Chiefs, as they have
ADVERTISEMENT done all June, responded immediately with runs of their own. Bandits starter Thomas Eager racked up two quick outs in the third before Jonathan Wyatt doubled off the wall in right. Nate Samson followed with an RBI single to center as the Chiefs tied the game. Red-hot Marquez Smith slammed a two-run home run into the left-field berm for a 3-1 Chiefs lead. The blast is Smith’s 10^th of the season and seventh in his last 17 games.

     Siegfried couldn’t keep the lead as Quad Cities batted around and knocked him from the contest in the third. The Chiefs lefty began the inning with back-to-back walks before Nick Peoples singled to center and loaded the bases. A wild pitch brought home the first run, and Peter Kozma’s single gave the Bandits two more runs for a 4-3 lead. Charlie Kingrey extended the lead and knocked Siegfried out of the contest with a double off the center-field wall. Zach Ashwood came out of the bullpen and surrendered a mammoth two-run home run to clean-up hitter Matt Arburr as the Bandits took a 7-3 lead. The home run was Arburr’s team-leading ninth of the season and fourth against Peoria.

     The Chiefs went in order in the fourth, but rallied to knock Eager from the game in the fifth. Elvis Lara laid down a bunt single and Wyatt walked to start the inning. Attempting to bunt, Samson was drilled in the head by Eager to load the bases. Smith dropped a flare into right to score two and cut the lead to 7-5. With the tying runs on base, Matt Spade relieved Eager and struck out both Jovan Rosa and Dylan Johnston for the first two outs of the inning. Brandon Guyer drove one deep to left, but Nick People made a leaping, running catch to keep the Chiefs two runs down and end the inning.

     Quad Cities added to their lead in the sixth when Pham connected for his second solo home run of the contest. The shot came off Ashwood and struck against the batters eye in dead center for an 8-5 QC lead. Peoria brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh and ninth but failed to get a runner past second base either time.

     Siegfried (1-5) struggled for the second straight start as he allowed six runs on four hits in two plus innings. The lefty struck out three, walked two and threw a wild pitch. Ashwood allowed just two hits over four innings, but both left the ball park. The lefty was charged with two runs and one walk while striking out four. Jordan Latham struck out four in his two perfect innings of work. 

Player of the Game – Marquez Smith (2B) – Smith pounded out four RBI with a home run and a bases loaded single. He also walked twice to finish the game 2-for-3 with four RBI and a run scored. Smith is hitting .433 with seven home runs and 19 RBI over his last 20 games. 

Notes… This was Peoria’s fifth straight game with nine or more hits…Luis Bautista eight-game hit streak ended with a 0-for-4 game…Marquez Smith has driven in a run in five straight games and six of his last eight…Quad Cities now leads the season series 5-4…The Chiefs began the day fourth in the MWL as a team with a .255 batting average…The crowd was the largest in Davenport since the 2004 renovation of the stadium and may be the largest in franchise history…Peoria has lost four straight road games but won seven straight at home…Ashwood leads the team in home runs allowed with nine and is second in the league…Because of a suspended game and two straight rain outs, Quad Cities had not completed a game since a 6-5, 11-inning loss at Wisconsin on Friday…The Monday rainout was the first on the road for the Chiefs this season but their sixth overall…The two rivals will play a double header on Wednesday at 6:00 PM…RH Dae-Eun Rhee (3-1, 1.64) will start game one for the Chiefs against RH Josh Wilson (1-1, 4.50)…Game two will feature Chiefs RH Alberto Cabrera (4-6, 5.71) against RH Blake King (1-4, 4.33)…The games can be heard live beginning with the pre-game show at 5:45 PM online at www.peoriachiefs.com or on WOAM 1350 AM

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