Bats Dominate Omaha 10-4 To Earn Opening Series Sweep

The Louisville Bats caught fire on Sunday afternoon, putting on an all-around clinic to record a 10-4 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers to complete an opening series sweep.

Bats newcomer Davis Daniel was penciled in as the series-finishing starter. He would begin his Louisville stint in great fashion, retiring the first three batters with a strikeout in the process.

The Bats' offense rode their momentum into Sunday, attacking veteran right-hander Aaron Sanchez early. Blake Dunn reached base on a bloop single to begin the first inning, extending his on-base streak to 32 games with the end of the 2025 season included. An Edwin Arroyo walk and a Hector Rodriguez hit by pitch would bring up Rece Hinds, who plated Dunn with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Louisville didn’t stop the damage there, with JJ Bleday reaching base on a walk to load the bases once again. Christian Encarnacion-Strand would plate a run on another sacrifice fly to center, then Michael Chavis cleared the bases on a double down the left field line. To cap it off, Will Banfield rocketed a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall to give the Bats a 6-0 lead heading into the second.

Daniel continued to deal for the Bats, fanning both Brandon Drury and Gavin Cross in the second. Chavis kept Daniel’s then-hitless line going with a diving snag on the hot corner to end the inning. Daniel’s perfect outing would end in the third after a Peyton Wilson walk, followed by a two-run home run from Josh Rojas to cut the lead to 6-2.

Daniel retired three straight Storm Chasers in the fourth with another two strikeouts. Louisville manager Pat Kelly turned to the bullpen in the fifth, ending Daniel’s line at 4.0 innings with six strikeouts, two earned runs, and one walk on 59 total pitches.

Louisville added some insurance throughout the game with more help from Dunn. He stole two bases in the fourth to help cross a run off a Hector Rodriguez ground out. Dunn would make another impact at the plate, scoring Chavis on a single to right field in the fifth. Encarnacion-Strand and Edwin Arroyo each recorded an RBI after Dunn to help extend the lead.

Also making his Bats debut was Darren McCaughan, who turned in an impressive scoreless outing in his 128th Triple-A game. McCaugan (W, 1-0) was credited with his first Louisville win, holding Omaha to one run on the day while fanning six batters through three innings. Julian Garcia also made his Louisville debut, tossing two innings and allowing one run with three strikeouts.

All nine Bats starters reached with either a hit or a walk. Three players had multi-hit games and three drove in a pair, with Dunn leading the way in a 2-for-4 performance with two runs and two stolen bases.

The victory marks the first time the Bats have started a season 3-0 since 2013. It is also Louisville’s first sweep over Omaha since the 2023 season.

The Bats (3-0) kick off their first six-game series at home against the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for Sports Talk 790.