Peoria Chiefs at Cedar Rapids Kernels
April 18th, 2002
| Peoria |
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
7 |
2 |
0 |
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
10 |
10 |
2 |
| Cedar Rapids |
|
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
4 |
8 |
2 |
E-Roman, Burgess, McPherson, Santana, LOB PEO-2, CR-5, 2B-Molina, Melgarejo, Mathis, Napoli, HR-Lemon (Thomas), Duncan (Mozingo), Johnson (Santana), McPherson (Merrigan), HBP-Moore, SACB-Nelson
HB-Santana, SO-Roman, Lemon, Duncan 2, Molina 2, Moore, Asadoorian, Melgarejo, McPherson, Mathis, DelChiaro, Napoli, Nevins, Cahill, BB-Roman, Melgarejo
T-2:29, A-1,219
Cedar Rapids Gazette
by Jim Ecker
Some people love minor league baseball. A few dozen people proved it Thursday night by sitting through an 82 minute rain delay at Veterans Memorial Stadium and sticking around to the bitter end as the Cedar Rapids Kernels lost to the Peoria Chiefs 10-4.
The paid crowd was announced as 1,19 but you could count those remaining with your fingers and toes when the last out was recorded at 10:22 pm.
Young Kernels right hander Ervin Santana extended his streak of scoreless innings to 13 2/3 before his mastery of opposing batters end with a boom in the fourth inning on a grand slam by Gabe Johnson
Peoria scored seven times in the fourth for a 7-0 lead, chasing Santana and making the rest of the night a futile exercise in patience and perseverance.
Lightning reached the stadium in the middle innings. They kept playng until the bottom of the eighth, when the skies opened up and the umpires called for the tarp with the Chiefs sitting on a fat 10-4 lead.
That's how it ended, a long time later after the 82 minute delay.
Santana, 18, breezed through the first three innings, allowing a harmless single and facing only 10 batters. But he couldn't get through the fourth. A walk and two singles loaded the bases, then Johnson unloaded his long homer to left.
"He pitched well those first three innings. He just made one bad pitch," Kernels Manager Todd Claus said. "Unfortunately the guy put a pretty good swing on it."
Santana had not allowed a run in three starts this season until the fateful fourth.
"Almost 14 innings without giving up a run," Claus noted, "He was bound to give up a run, it just so happened there were guys on base when he did. He gave up four with one swing. He'll bounce back."
Santana suddenly trailing 4-0, gave up another hit, walked a batter and committed an error on a sacrifice bunt, loading the bases again with nobody out. He got two outs on popups, but Clause pulled him for the game at that point with his pitch count at 70.
The Chiefs scored three more runs, two on a throwing error by third baseman Dallas McPherson, before reliever Dan Mozingo stopped the bleeding.
McPherson later atoned with a two run homer in the seventh, but by then the Chiefs and Mother Nature were in firm control of the game.
How They Scored
Top 4th
Gabe Johnson grand slam scored Jesse Roman, Tim Lemon and Chris Duncan. Roman RBI single scored Yadier Molina. Bryan Moore and John Nelson scored on Dallas McPherson throwing error.
Top 5th
Duncan homered. Moore RBI single scored Molina.
Bottom 6th
Napoli RBI double scored DelChiaro. Nevins RBI single scored Napoli.
Top 7th
Lemon home run.
Bottom 7th
McPherson homered, scoring Melgarejo.