Behind a five-run third inning offensive outburst, the Peoria Chiefs won game one of a doubleheader 8-2 against the Quad Cities River Bandits Tuesday afternoon at O’Brien Field. The Chiefs offense fell quiet in game two as Quad Cities starter Arquimedes Nieto took a perfect game into the sixth inning as the visitors salvaged a twinbill split with a 4-0 shutout victory.
The Chiefs got to Quad Cities starter Scott McGregor early in game one. Josh Harrison, who came into the day leading the MWL with a .381 average, led off the first with a single up the middle. After Ryan Flaherty walked, Rebel Ridling hit a check-swing tapper in front of the plate. Catcher Charlie Cutler had only one play to first base with both Harrison and Flaherty moving up a base. Kyler Burke grounded out to second, but Harrison came in to score the first run of the game. With two outs, Josh Vitters delivered a ringing line-drive single up the middle to plate Flaherty and give the Chiefs a 2-0 lead.
Peoria tacked on five more in the third, sending 10 batters to the plate. Ridling reached on a fielding error by shortstop Niko Vasquez. Burke blooped a single to left-center and both runners moved up an extra base when the ball kicked off centerfielder Frederick Pajero. After a Vitters strikeout, Nelson Perez launched a two-run double down the left field line. Junior Lake responded with a triple off the wall in center to bring home Perez. The Chiefs made it 6-0 with a soft single to right by Michael Brenly, plating Lake. Harrison singled and then Peoria capped off their five run third with a run-scoring double by Flaherty.
The River Bandits got on the board in the fourth. Chris Swauger led off the inning and drilled an 0-1 pitch off the batters’ eye in center field to make it 7-1. Quad Cities scored their second run that inning on a RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Parejo. Peoria made it a six-run lead once again in the bottom of the fourth when Brenly lifted a sacrifice fly to deep left to score Perez and give the Chiefs an 8-2 advantage.
Game one starter Marcus Hatley improved to 2-1 after firing 5 innings and allowing two runs on four hits. The right-hander walked three and struck out four. Josh Whitlock came on in relief and threw two flawless innings to end the game. McGregor picked up the loss for Quad Cities. He went three innings and gave up eight runs, six earned, on 10 hits.
The River Bandits took their first lead of the day in the top of the first of game two. Brett Lilley led off the game with a perfectly placed blooped single into left-center field and moved to second on a Paul Cruz groundout. Swauger grounded to short to advance Lilley to third, and Osvaldo Morales hit a soft fly ball that landed in front of David Macias in center to score Lilley and make it 1-0 River Bandits.
Quad Cities tallied another run in the fourth. Game two starter Justin Bristow was breezing right along until Osvaldo Morales ripped a solo shot into the lawn in left field to make it a 2-0 score.
The River Bandits scored solo runs in both the sixth and seventh innings. Morales pummeled a Chris Siegfried pitch over the left-center field wall for his second homer of the game and fifth of the season to make it 3-0. Quad Cities made it a four-run lead on a Cruz RBI double to left that scored Alex Castellanos.
Nieto’s perfect game ended in the bottom of the sixth. After retiring the first 15 Chiefs hitters of the game, the right-hander faced David Macias leading off the frame. The Peoria utility man smacked a 2-2 pitch into centerfield to become the Chiefs first baserunner of game two, which also chased Nieto from the game. Quad Cities would face the minimum in the game, as both Chiefs baserunners in game two were erased on double play balls.
Bristow lasted four innings and gave up two runs on four hits, striking out three. Siegfried hurled three innings and gave up two runs on three hits. Nieto allowed just the one hit in five innings in his first win of the season.

Article courtesy Peoria Chiefs