Omaha starting pitcher Jonathan Dziedzic faced one batter above the minimum over six excellent innings of work and reliever Wily Peralta notched a three-inning save, while shortstop Adalberto Mondesi crushed his third home run of the season as the Storm Chasers earned their fifth straight victory in a 2-1 triumph
Omaha starting pitcher Jonathan Dziedzic faced one batter above the minimum over six excellent innings of work and reliever Wily Peralta notched a three-inning save, while shortstop Adalberto Mondesi crushed his third home run of the season as the Storm Chasers earned their fifth straight victory in a 2-1 triumph over the Round Rock Express on Saturday night at Werner Park.
Dziedzic's (6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K) resume was nearly spotless save for a pair of singles, retiring 17 of 19 batters faced, including 13 in a row at one point. Express 3B Andy Ibáñez tallied a two-out single in the first before Dziedzic cruised into sixth without allowing another baserunner before SS Nick Noonan 's one-out knock in that frame.
Peralta (3.0 IP, 2 H, R, ER, BB, 5 K) notched his first save of the season and fifth of his professional career by firing the final three frames. Round Rock starter Yohander Méndez (7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) suffered the defeat despite a quality outing, while reliever Tim Lincecum (1.0 IP, BB, 2 K) tossed a scoreless eighth of support.
Storm Chasers CF Billy Burns roped a leadoff double in the bottom of the first and then took third on a sacrifice bunt before coming across on DH Frank Schwindel 's RBI groundout to give Omaha a 1-0 lead. Mondesi then mashed a solo shot to left in the sixth to extend that advantage to two. The Express cut the deficit in half when 1B Tommy Joseph blasted a solo shot, however Round Rock would not threaten from that point on.
The only batter with a two-hit effort from either side was Omaha RF Paulo Orlando (2-3), through Burns (1-2, R, 2B, BB) reached base twice thanks to his two-bagger and a base on balls. 2B Humberto Arteaga recorded one hit in three at-bats and over his last six contests has tallied a knock in 14 of his last 22 at-bats, while Burns has hits in 14 of his most recent 16 contests. The five-game win streak is the longest for the Storm Chasers since posting a five-game stretch last season between May 25-29.
Omaha will attempt to win their sixth straight matchup on Sunday evening with a special 7:05pm Memorial Day Weekend start time. RHP Heath Fillmyer (3-3, 4.80) is expected to toe the rubber for the Storm Chasers, while RHP Yovani Gallardo (0-1, 4.55) is slated to get the nod for Round Rock.
Tickets are still available for that game and all Storm Chasers contests throughout the 2018 season, and may be purchased at www.omahastormchasers.com/tickets as well as by calling the Werner Park Ticket Office at (402) 738-5100. To view Ticket Office hours, please click here.
