I-Cubs Walk-Off Storm Chasers to Take Series

DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa Cubs (18-15) walked-off the Omaha Storm Chasers (15-18), officially winning the series with their 6-5 victory, Friday at Principal Park.

Iowa jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs in the first inning on an RBI double from Nelson Maldonado followed by a three-run home run from Robel Garcia. It marked Garcia’s fifth home run of the series and fourth straight game with a deep fly.

Caleb Kilian kept Omaha off the board through four innings but was taken out after loading the bases without recording an out in the fifth. One run scored, going on Kilian’s line, putting four hits, two walks and six strikeouts on his final line.

The game stayed 4-1 until the seventh inning, when the Storm Chasers got a three-run shot from Vinnie Pasquantino and a sacrifice bunt from Clay Dungan to take a 5-4 lead. Iowa didn’t trail for long, as Jared Young tied it in the home half with a solo blast.

Pitchers on both sides locked down from there, keeping the game knotted at five apiece through nine innings. Cayne Ueckert spun a scoreless 10th inning and Nelson Velazquez gave Iowa their fifth straight win with a walk-off single in the home half of the inning.

POSTGAME NOTES:

• Nelson Velazquez went 3-for-4 including the walk-off single, bringing his average with Iowa to .318 through his first six games.

• Brandon Hughes threw two more scoreless frames tonight, walking one batter compared to three strikeouts. He now has thrown 10.1 scoreless frames in his first five Triple-A appearances.

• Robel Garcia crushed another home run today, giving him five in his last four games and six in his last seven games. Garcia has a home run in each of the four games this series against Omaha.

Iowa and Omaha will play game five of their six-game series tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 6:08 at Principal Park. For more information and tickets, visit www.iowacubs.com.