Trio of Round-Trippers Lead to 7-4 Win
OMAHA, Neb. - In front of a capacity crowd of 9,023, the third of the year at Werner Park, the Omaha Storm Chasers (66-60) earned a series split with the Salt Lake Bees (52-75) with a 7-4 win in the finale. With an Iowa loss to Las Vegas tonight, Omaha moves back into a first place tie atop the American Conference North Division.
Carlos Peguero and Francisco Pena, two of the hottest home run hitters in the Pacific Coast League, set the tone early with back-to-back jacks in the opening frame to open up a 4-0 lead. Peguero's bomb to dead center was a three-run shot, and the slugger finished with four RBI and a triple shy of the cycle. Pena's blast was his team-leading 26th of the season, tied for second most in the league, and continues to add to the highest homer total for Omaha since 2007.
Clay Mortensen turned in his longest start in an Omaha uniform with seven innings of two-run ball to earn his first win since July 6. Since returning from injury on August 10, Mortensen has allowed just four earned runs in two starts spanning 12.0 innings (3.00 ERA), after he had allowed 16 runs in 19.2 innings before going on the disabled list. The Bees tightened the score to 7-4 in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate, but Louis Coleman sealed the win with a strikeout.
Cheslor Cuthbert blasted a two-run shot in the sixth for his first career Triple-A home run, and his 11th long ball of the season between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Omaha. The win evens Omaha home record this season to 31-31, and the Chasers have won 21 of the 32 series finales this season including nine of the last eleven.
Omaha now welcomes the Las Vegas 51s to Werner Park, who are first in the Pacific Southern Division, and LHP Buddy Baumann (1-3, 2.82 ERA) goes in the series opener for the Chasers. He will face off with RHP Logan Verrett (10-4, 4.47 ERA) with first pitch on 1180 Zone 2 The Deuce and MiLB.TV scheduled for 6:35 p.m.