Chasers held to three hits in series-opening loss

ST. PAUL, MINN. -- The Omaha Storm Chasers mustered just one run on three hits on Tuesday against the St. Paul Saints, losing, 4-1, in the series opener at CHS Field.

Omaha (21-9) scored first in its first-ever visit to CHS Field, plating a run against St. Paul (16-15) left-hander Charlie Barnes in the third. After Barnes hit outfielder Kyle Isbel with a pitch, third baseman Emmanuel Rivera doubled into deep right-center field to give the Chasers a 1-0 lead.

With the double, Rivera extended his hitting streak to seven games. In that span, Rivera is batting .438 (14-for-32) in that span with four doubles, one triple, and two home runs.

Right-hander Carlos Hernández, right-hander Domingo Tapia, and left-hander Richard Lovelady kept the Saints off the board for the first six innings. Hernández threw 22 pitches and retired all six batters he faced before exiting, Tapia stranded the bases loaded as part of his two scoreless innings, and Lovelady stranded the bases loaded in the sixth to maintain Omaha's lead.

The Saints tied the game in the seventh against right-hander Tyler Zuber (Loss, 0-1), who made his Storm Chasers debut. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Saints' third baseman Daniel Descalso smacked a solo home run to right field to knot the score.

St. Paul scored three runs in the eighth to take the lead. After Zuber allowed a leadoff single to outfielder Byron Buxton and a walk to Brent Rooker, left-hander Gabe Speier entered to try and strand the baserunners. Speier yielded back-to-back singles, including a two-run single by first baseman Sherman Johnson, that gave the Saints the lead. They added another run on an RBI groundout later in the inning by Drew Maggi.

Right-hander Ian Hamilton (Win, 2-0) and left-hander Danny Coulombe (Save, 2) recorded the final nine outs for St. Paul, holding Omaha hitless over the final three innings.

The Storm Chasers continue their series with the Saints on Wednesday, when right-hander Eddie Butler (2-0, 1.35) faces right-hander Kenta Maeda (rehab start). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and coverage begins with the Sarpy County Tourism Pregame Show at 6:45 p.m. on 1180 The Zone.

Following the series at CHS Field, the Storm Chasers return to Werner Park on June 15 for a six-game series against the Louisville Bats (CIN), which includes a Sunday night game on June 20, which is Father's Day. For tickets and more information, please visit omahastormchasers.com, call the Werner Park Ticket Office at (402) 738-5100 and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.