Pilots lose to Tri-City on walk-off homer

Despite a stirring ninth-inning comeback, the Peninsula Pilots (11-14) dropped their second game in a row, falling 12-9 Thursday night to the Tri-City Chili Peppers at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights.

Hunter Gilliam broke a 9-9 tie with a walk-off three-run homer against reliever Jack Dragum with two out in the ninth.

Thanks in part to Chris Sparber’s two-run homer in the fourth inning, the Pilots (11-14 in the Coastal Plain League) led 4-0. But in the bottom of the fifth, Tri-City (15-11) scored three runs. The Chili Peppers tied the game on Kenny Mallory Jr.’s RBI single in the sixth and seemed well on their way to victory with a five-run seventh that included Brandon Eike’s grand slam.

But in the top of the ninth, the Pilots answered with five two-out runs to extend the game. A hit batter and two walks loaded the bases before Elijah Dickerson’s walk and Robbie Petracci’s single brought in a run apiece. Kaleb Hannahs’ bases-loaded walk made it 9-7, and Tyler Kehoe tied the game with a two-run single.

But with Peninsula needing one more out to force a 10th inning, Gilliam unloaded.

The Pilots were 2-2 on a trip whose last game was Friday night in North Carolina against the Morehead City Marlins. Peninsula will host the Chili Peppers at 7 tonight at War Memorial Stadium.

The Tampa Bay Rays optioned former Old Dominion left-hander Ryan Yarbrough to the Triple-A Durham Bulls. Yarbrough is 0-4 with a 5.82 ERA in 34 innings in the majors this season, and he is 1-2 with a 4.74 ERA in 19 innings with Durham.