Kowar Bedevils Saints on Opening Night

Omaha blasts four home runs to back starter

12:33 AM EDT

PAPILLION, Neb. – Jackson Kowar shined in his Triple-A debut. The 24-year-old right-hander matched a career-high with nine strikeouts over 5.1 shutout innings, and Omaha jumped on St. Paul early in an 8-2 win on the opening night of Triple-A East play at Werner Park. The Storm Chasers hit four

PAPILLION, Neb. – Jackson Kowar shined in his Triple-A debut.

The 24-year-old right-hander matched a career-high with nine strikeouts over 5.1 shutout innings, and Omaha jumped on St. Paul early in an 8-2 win on the opening night of Triple-A East play at Werner Park.

The Storm Chasers hit four home runs – and led off the first four innings with extra-base hits – in building an 8-0 advantage after five frames Tuesday. Edward Olivares tripled and scored to open the Omaha first before launching a three-run homer in the second to stake Kowar to a 5-0 lead early on.

That was plenty of cushion for Kansas City’s No. 2 prospect, who walked two batters and allowed a pair of singles in earning the opening-day victory. Kowar fanned eight of the last 12 Saints he faced before exiting to the applause of the 3,261 fans in attendance.

While this was his Omaha debut as a pro, the University of Florida product is no stranger to success in the city. Kowar was a part of three College World Series teams with the Gators. After earning a save in the national title game as a sophomore in 2017, he struck out 13 Texas batters at the CWS as a junior.

While Kowar was dominating the St. Paul lineup Tuesday, the Omaha order was roughing up Saints starter Andrew Albers. Kelvin Gutierrez tripled to lead off the decisive four-run second and scored on a bunt single by 2019 Storm Chasers Player of the Year Erick Mejia. Oliveras homered two batters later.

Ryan McBroom then opened the Omaha third with a solo shot to left field. Anderson Miller matched it with a leadoff blast in the fourth. Gabriel Cancel capped the offensive onslaught with a one-out homer in the fifth. Gutierrez also doubled as the Chasers outhit the Saints 9-6 and tallied seven extra-base hits.

Omaha scored seven runs off Albers in four innings, homering in each of the last three of those.

St. Paul, which was playing the first Triple-A game in its franchise history, scored its two runs on a Ryan Jeffers home run in the seventh after the game was all but decided.