April 18, 2023 – Midwest League (MWL) – Peoria Chiefs News Release
Peoria, IL – Two home runs from Aaron McKeithan led the Chiefs to an 8-5 victory over Fort Wayne at Dozer Park on Tuesday. The win was the Chiefs first victory at home this season.
The Chiefs kicked the offense into full gear right away against Fort Wayne starter Bodi Rascon, who recorded only two outs before being removed. The lefty surrendered four runs in the first inning. A Jimmy Crooks RBI single made it 1-0. The next batter, McKeithan, struck with his first home run of the game, a three-run blast, to make it 4-0.
The Chiefs added a run in the second inning on a Jeremy Rivas sacrifice fly which made it 5-0. The sac fly served as the eighth of the year for Peoria to bolster their league-leading total.
Fort Wayne put up a four spot of its own in the third to get within one. Chiefs starter Zane Mills allowed a three-run home run to Padres top prospect Jackson Merrill. Two batters later, Nathan Martorella cleared the wall in left for a solo shot.
In the home half of the inning, McKeithan led off the inning with a solo home run, his second long ball of the night to make it 6-4. For McKeithan, it was the first multi-homer game of his career. He went 3-for-4 on the night with a career-high 4 RBIs.
The TinCaps countered with a run in the fifth off of Mills. A single and a double led to a Merrill sacrifice fly to make it a 6-5 game. Mills departed after five innings and scattered five runs on six hits. The sinkerballer issued one walk while striking out six.
The Chiefs bullpen was lights out in relief of Mills who ultimately earned the win. The combination of Bryan Pope, Chris Roycroft, and Andrew Marrero tossed four hitless innings, allowing just one baserunner.
Francisco Hernandez added a cushion in the eighth inning with a two-run double off Jose Geraldo to make it 8-5. Hernandez mashed a pair of doubles and extended his hitting streak to six games, tied for the longest streak by a Peoria hitter this season.
The bullpen retired 11 in a row to end the game. Marrero earned his second save of the season, striking out two in the ninth.
Game two of the series is tomorrow with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. Left-hander Alex Cornwell will make his first start of the year in place of Tink Hence.
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