Jones hammers two homers in regular season finale win

PAPILLION, Neb. -- First baseman Travis Jones hit two home runs—his first two home runs at the Triple-A level—to help the Omaha Storm Chasers defeat the Iowa Cubs, 10-3, on Sunday at Werner Park to complete the 120-game regular season.

Omaha (66-54) finished the regular season 12 games over .500 and has clinched the franchise's first winning season since 2015 with the 10 Triple-A Final Stretch games remaining.

The Storm Chasers hit four home runs for the second consecutive game, and recorded a multi-homer game for the fifth straight game. Omaha finished the regular season with at least one home run in 95 of the 120 games and 57 games with at least two home runs. Sunday marked the team's seventh game with four home runs.

The first of the four blasts came in the bottom of the first inning, when shortstop Lucius Fox lined the first pitch from right-hander Dakota Mekkes over the left-center field fence.

Iowa (50-70) took the lead on a two-run homer from Tyler Ladendorf in the second inning against right-hander Ronald Bolaños and added a run in the third when Brennen Davis singled and later scored on a wild pitch.

Jones' first home run came as part of a four-run third inning that gave the Storm Chasers the lead for good. With one out, Jones launched a 1-1 pitch from right-hander Erich Uelman (Loss, 0-1) over the left-field fence for his first career Triple-A home run. The Chasers scored three more runs in the inning on a walk, two hits—including an RBI double from designated hitter MJ Melendez—and three Iowa throwing errors.

Fox added another run for Omaha in the fourth with an RBI double, ultimately finishing the game2-for-4 with a home run, double, and two RBIs. The Chasers scored again in the fifth when third baseman Emmanuel Rivera reached on an infield single, moved to second on a double from right-fielder Ryan McBroom, and later scored on a single from left-fielder Dairon Blanco.

Rivera hit the team's third home run of the game in the sixth, blasting a two-run homer to left for his 18th home run of the season. Jones' second solo homer in the seventh, extending Omaha's lead to 10-3. Jones became the 10th Storm Chasers to record a multi-homer game this season.

Right-hander Jake Newberry (Win, 2-5), right-hander Andres Núñez, left-hander Emilio Marquez—who made his Triple-A debut—and right-hander Collin Snider combined for 5.0 scoreless innings of relief.

The Storm Chasers begin the Triple-A Final Stretch on Wednesday, beginning a five-game series against the Indianapolis Indians (PIT) at Werner Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. CT with the Sarpy County Tourism Pregame Show on 1180 The Zone.

A special ticket package for the Triple-A Final Stretch—which includes the final five home games of the 2021 season from Sept. 22-Sept. 26—is available now. For tickets and more information, visit omahastormchasers.com or call the Werner Park Ticket Office at (402) 738-5100 and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.