Tovalin’s Timely Blast Lifts Chiefs to First Win

April 12, 2023 – Midwest League (MWL) – Peoria Chiefs News Release

Appleton, WI – Osvaldo Tovalin picked a good time to connect on the Chiefs first home run of the season. With Peoria trailing by a run in the eighth inning, Tovalin’s two-run homer gave the Chiefs a lead they wouldn’t relinquish en route to a 7-6 win Wednesday afternoon.

The Timber Rattlers jumped out to an early lead for the second day in a row, this time against starter Zane Mills, scratching across a run in two of the first three frames.

Despite sending only the minimum to the plate through three innings against Wisconsin’s Alexander Cornielle, the Peoria offense woke up in the middle innings. In the fourth, the Chiefs cashed in a two-out rally. After a Thomas Francisco single and an Elijah Cabell walk, Nathan Church dumped a single into right field to cut the deficit to 2-1. Then, with runners at the corners, the Chiefs executed a double steal to tie the ballgame. After Church streaked for second, Cabell broke for home and beat the return throw to tie the score.

An inning later, a two-out single from Ramon Mendoza gave Peoria their first lead of the series, 3-2.

Mills overcame some early traffic to settle in. Mills set Wisconsin down in order in the fifth to put himself in place to qualify for the win. The right-hander returned to the bump for the sixth but was lifted after allowing the first two men to reach. Chiefs reliever Ian Bedell entered to face Eduardo Garcia. With the count 2-1, Garcia lifted a three-run homer to left center to propel the Timber Rattlers back in front, 5-3.

After Peoria cut the deficit to 5-4 in the top half of the seventh, Bedell encountered a major jam in the home half of the frame. After loading the bases with no one out, Bedell proceeded to punch out the next three batters he faced to keep the deficit at one. Through two outings this season, Bedell has recorded 13 of his 14 outs via the strikeout.

Bedell’s high-wire act set up Tovalin. With two outs in the inning, the Peoria third baseman deposited a 1-0 pitch over the wall in right field, pushing the Chiefs to a 6-5 lead. For Tovalin, it capped off a two-hit afternoon, his first multi-hit effort of the season.

Reliever Bryan Pope stranded a pair of Wisconsin runners in the eighth to get the game to the ninth. There, the Chiefs plated a crucial insurance run on a Francisco sac fly that scored Victor Scott, who extended his hitting streak to five games Wednesday.

The ninth inning add-on tally loomed large….