The Paducah Chiefs got a huge relief performance from a former Trigg County Wildcat Friday night on their way to a 9-6 win over the Hoptown Hoppers, handing the Hoppers their second straight loss to open the 2023 Ohio Valley League season.
Joe Peca entered the game for the Chiefs in the sixth and promptly set about dominating the rest of the night on the mound. Peca would finish with nine strikeouts over the final four innings, setting down the final ten batters in order as the Chiefs rallied from an early deficit to take the win.
For the second game in a row, the Hoppers actually got things off to a good start. Hoptown put together five singles in the bottom of the first to score three runs and take the early 3-0 lead. John Keibler, Fred Fernandez, and Manuel Villalobos, all had RBI singles in the inning.
Paducah used a walk, a hit batter, and a Hopper error to load the bases with one out in the top of the second. Noah Boon, who had walked earlier in the inning, scored on wild pitch to trim the Hoptown lead to 3-1.
The Hoppers got that run right back in the bottom half of the inning. Kaito Muto connected for a one-out single, stole second base, and then scored on an RBI single from Robert Estrada to push the lead back out to three runs.
The Chiefs took advantage of Hopper pitching struggles in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 4-4. Two walks and a hit batter opened the door for Paducah to score the three runs. The last two of the runs were scored on infield outs.
The pitching struggles for Hoptown continued into the top of the fifth and played a role in the Chiefs taking their first lead of the night. After the first two batters in the top of the fifth walked, Gage Griggs stole third and then scored on a passed ball. Luke Dymond followed that up with an RBI double that extended the Paducah lead to 6-4. Sammy Kenstranek singled to drive in another run as the lead grew to 7-4.
Hoptown rallied to get two of the runs back in the bottom of the inning. Robert Estrada scored on a Paducah error then Dom Oliverio singled to drive in Gavin Baxter and cut the Chief lead to 7-6.
Kenstranek singled with one out in the top of the seventh to give the Chiefs a little breathing room at 8-6. In the ninth, Will Gibbs had a one-out single for Paducah, stole second, advanced to third on a ground out, and then scored on a wild pitch to pad the Chiefs’ lead out to 9-6.
Robert Estrada led the Hoppers going 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Dom Oliverio was 2-4 with an RBI and Sam Perkins was 2-4 on the night.
Pitching struggles plagued the Hoppers for the second night in a row. Seven Hopper pitchers combined to give up nine runs on nine hits, walking twelve Chief batters, and hitting three others.
Former Lyon County Lyon Gunnar Bingham was 1-4 for the Chiefs with an RBI and a run scored.
