News release from the TinCaps:
Chiefs Down TinCaps, 5-1, in Opener
(May 4, 2013) Peoria, IL – In the first game of a three-game series against the Peoria Chiefs, the Fort Wayne TinCaps fell behind early and could not rally, losing by a 5-1 final Saturday night. The defeat ended the TinCaps’ three-game road winning streak.
Peoria (12-12) opened the scoring with a first-inning run against TinCaps starter Zach Eflin (0-3). The 19-year-old pitcher gave up back-to-back singles to Breyvic Valera and Alex Mejia, with Valera moving to third on Mejia’s hit. Jacob Wilson, the Chiefs’ RBI leader, lofted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Valera.
Fort Wayne (16-11) answered in the second, as Gabriel Quintana hit his third home run of the season, tying the game at one. The TinCaps, though, struggled to produce offense against Chiefs starter Kurt Heyer (2-0), who surrendered just three hits through the first five innings, fanning four batters in that time.
The Chiefs tallied single runs in the bottom of the second and the bottom of the fourth, taking a 3-1 lead after five innings. The fourth saw the TinCaps commit two errors, one each by shortstop Stephen Carmon and third baseman Quintana. Eflin also walked two batters in the inning, during which the Chiefs didn’t pick up a hit.
At the end of the fifth inning, 7:49 p.m. central time, the tarp was brought onto the field, beginning a 39 minute rain delay.
The stoppage favored the Chiefs, who scored twice more, while the TinCaps mustered only one hit over the game’s final four innings. Fort Wayne batters struck out nine times, and failed to convert any of their three chances with runners in scoring position.
Game two of the three game series is scheduled for 3:00 pm EDT Sunday afternoon. The scheduled starters are Ruben Mejia for Fort Wayne and Tyrell Jenkins for Peoria. The game can be heard on The Fan 1380 and TheFanFortWayne.com.
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