Blake Drake drove in three runs for the Peoria Chiefs on Tuesday.

A six-run 6th inning helped the Peoria Chiefs end their six-game losing streak Tuesday with a 7-1 win over the Beloit Snappers at Dozer Park.

Both teams entered the game with 8-10 records, and they seemed evenly matched through the first five-and-a-half innings. They traded zeroes through four innings before each team scored a run in the 5th (via an RBI single by Beloit’s Yairo Munoz and a solo home run by Peoria’s Blake Drake).

That changed in the bottom of the 6th inning as the Chiefs plated six runs while sending 11 batters to the dish. The big blow came off the bat of Drake, who hit a bases-loaded double that drove in two runs. A third run scored on the play and Drake ended up at third base thanks to a fielding error by rightfielder Shawn Duinkerk. Justin Ringo, Alex DeLeon and Oscar Mercado also drove in runs in the inning.

Peoria Chiefs 1B Justin Ringo swings at a pitch in the bottom of the 2nd inning.

Chiefs SP Luis Perdomo got the win, his first of the season. He gave up one run on five hits, three walks and a hit batsman in six innings. He struck out three batters.

Peoria Chiefs SP Luis Perdomo on the mound, with Beloit Snappers LF Joe Bennie taking a lead off first base.

I’ll be back at Dozer Park on Wednesday for an afternoon rematch between the two teams. The scheduled starting pitchers are Chiefs LHP Austin Gomber (1-2, 5.74 ERA) and Snappers RHP Junior Mendez (0-1, 8.03 ERA).

Honeywell, Wood blank Loons

Two of the top four pitchers in the Midwest League (as measured by ERA) combined to throw a nine-inning shutout on the road Tuesday.

Hot Rods SP Brent Honeywell and RP Hunter Wood each gave up a hit and no walks while combining to strike out 12 Loons batters in Bowling Green’s 1-0 win at Great Lakes.

Honeywell struck out seven batters in six innings. Wood struck out five batters in three innings. They have ERAs of 0.82 (in 22 innings) and 0.50 (in 18 innings), respectively. Wood ranks second in the Midwest League in ERA, and Honeywell ranks fourth. The third-best ERA belongs to a Loons hurler, SP Trevor Oaks (0.53 in 17 innings), who is scheduled to pitch against the Hot Rods on Thursday.

South Bend Cubs SP Ryan Williams leads the league with a 0.46 ERA in 19.2 innings.

*All photos by Craig Wieczorkiewicz/The Midwest League Traveler