By WJBC Staff
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. – The Peoria Chiefs and West Michigan Whitecaps played to a 9-9 tie in a record setting 15 inning game Friday night. The game was called after the 15th inning as an inning cannot start after 12:50 a.m. and is officially a tie, the third in Chiefs history. At 6:01 the game is the longest in franchise history and the Chiefs set a team record with 26 hits while the teams combined for a Midwest League record 48 hits.
The Chiefs jumped out to an early lead against Beau Burrows in the second inning. With one out Leo Pina tripled to right and scored on a single by RJ Dennard for a 1-0 lead. West Michigan tied the game in the third against Derian Gonzalez with an unearned run after a throwing error by Chris Chinea.
Peoria went back on top in the fourth as Magneuris Sierra doubled home Pina and Craig Aikin for a 3-1 lead. The Whitecaps answered in the fifth against reliever Jorge Rodriguez as Will Maddox singled home Derek Hill and Brett Pirtle doubled home Will Allen.
The teams went back and forth again in the seventh. Jose Martinez singled and was thrown out at third trying to advance on a single by Dylan Tice. Chinea doubled home Tice for a 4-3 lead and scored on a single by Pina as the Chiefs went back on top by two. West Michigan scored in the bottom of the inning against Frey as Maddox doubled home Brown and later scored on an error by Chinea at first.
The eighth inning was the same as both teams scored twice. Martinez put the Chiefs on top 6-5 with a sacrifice fly to center and Tice singled home Sierra. The Whitecaps got an RBI double from Rashad Brown and he scored to tie the game on a groundout to short by Maddox. Aikin threw out Allen at the plate to end the inning and keep the game tied.
The Chiefs again took the lead in the 10th against reliever Drew Smith. Martinez singled, Tice walked and Chinea put the Chiefs on top 8-7 with a single to center. Jose Godoy walked and Pina’s sacrifice fly put the Chiefs on top 9-7. Stephen De La Cruz came in for the save but walked Brown with one out and Maddux singled while taking second on an error by Carlos Torres. Allen singled to left to tie the game 9-9 before the Whitecaps stranded a runner at third.
The Chiefs left two runners on in the 11th and the Whitecaps left the bases loaded against Luke Harrison in the 12th. The hosts nearly won the game with two outs in the 13th. With Franklin Navarro at first, Hill drove the ball over Sierra’s head in right-center for an apparent game winner but the ball bounced over the fence for an automatic double and Navarro was forced to stop at third. Harrison retired Brown to send the game to the 14th.
The Chiefs left two on base in the 14th and before the 15th inning started it was announced the game would end after the 15th due to curfew. Third baseman Jose Zambrano went to the mound for the Whitecaps and with two outs Martinez singled and Tice singled. Chinea singled to left to load the bases but Godoy grounded out to shortstop. Godoy moved from catcher to pitcher for the bottom of the 15th and allowed a base runner on an error with one out. Godoy retired the next two batters to end the game in a 9-9 tie.
Gonzalez allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk over three innings while striking out two. Rodriguez allowed two runs on four hits over three innings with one walk and two strikeouts. Frey suffered a blown save as he allowed four runs, three earned, on eight hits over three innings. De La Cruz also suffered a blown save as he allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning while striking out two. Harrison threw four shutout innings and struck out one while allowing four hits and two walks. Godoy threw a hitless and scoreless inning.
