Fields Smashes Omaha Past Sky Sox

OMAHA, Neb. - Matt Fields hit two sky-scraping homers and collected five RBI as the Omaha Storm Chasers (46-44) took the series finale from the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (40-50) by a score of 7-2. The win snaps Omaha's four-game home losing streak, which was a season high.

Fields broke up a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning with a two-run bomb to left field, and after the Sky Sox trimmed the Storm Chasers lead to 3-2, Fields hit a long ball to dead center for a three-run shot that put the game away. Fields leads the Pacific Coast League with four multi-homer games this season, accounting for half of the eight by Omaha batters in 2014, and is now tied with PCL All-Star Francisco Pena for the team lead at 15 round-trippers.

While Fields provided the offense, Omaha starter Clay Mortensen kept his former team in check as he tossed six innings of two-run ball while totaling six strikeouts. The big moment for the right-hander came in his final inning of the day as he worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth with a strikeout and an infield pop-out. Mortensen has allowed only seven earned runs in 38.1 innings for Omaha since joining the team in late May, good for a 1.64 ERA.

Whit Merrifield got the scoring started for Omaha on the day with a leadoff homer in the opening frame, his first Triple-A home run. Merrifield has hit safely in 19 of his last 21 games, and during that stretch dating back to June 13 the Triple-A newcomer has a PCL-leading 37 hits at the time of this release. 

The Storm Chasers will welcome first place Iowa next to Werner Park for an I-80 rivalry series, after the Cubs took four of five from Omaha in Des Moines earlier this week. LHP Ryan Verdugo (4-2, 4.10 ERA) gets the start for the Chasers, with first pitch on 1180 Zone 2 The Deuce and MiLB.TV scheduled for 7:05 p.m.