Cross Homers in Return but Omaha Falls 7-3 to Iowa

DES MOINES, IOWA – Gavin Cross homered in his first game back from the Injured List, but the Omaha Storm Chasers (25-26/58-67) fell 7-3 to the Iowa Cubs (23-30/53-72) on Wednesday afternoon. Cross picked back up where he left off after missing the previous 10 games while Tony Gonsolin made his return to the mound with 3.0 scoreless innings in a Major League rehab start, but it wasn’t enough to propel Omaha to a win.

Gonsolin started and fired 3.0 hitless and scoreless innings, pitching for the first time in over a year, before Ethan Bosacker took over on the mound with a hitless and scoreless bottom of the 4th inning.

Luke Little (0-1) came in for Bosacker to open the bottom of the 5th inning, but he surrendered an RBI double and single, before allowing a 2-run singled that turned into a little-league grand slam on an Omaha error to make the score 6-0 Iowa.

The Storm Chasers responded in the top of the 6th inning when Cross hit a 3-run home run to cut the deficit to 6-3.

Lucas Erceg then pitched a scoreless 6th inning, but was tagged for an RBI single in the bottom of the 7th inning to extend Iowa’s lead to 7-3.

Omaha turned to Nolan Hoffman for the bottom of the 8th inning, and he worked a 1-2-3 frame, but the Storm Chasers couldn’t push across any additional runs in the top of the 9th inning, finishing the 7-3 loss.

The Cubs will host the Storm Chasers again at Principal Park on Thursday night for the third game of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:38 P.M. CT and Henry Williams is in line to start for Omaha.