Omaha defeats Iowa behind complete team effort

Papillion, Neb. – The Storm Chasers used a complete team effort to secure their second consecutive win over the I-Cubs. Omaha (71-74) defeated Iowa (66-79) 10-2 on Friday Night from Werner Park.

The Storm Chasers plated the games’ first run, loading the bases in the bottom of the first with no outs. Left fielder Brent Rooker grounded into a double play that allowed shortstop Maikel Garcia to come in and score.

Omaha added another in the second inning to open a 2-0 lead. Second baseman Gabriel Cancel allowed catcher Jakson Reetz to score with a groundout.

The I-Cubs responded in the fourth, getting a solo home run from Christian Donahue to cut the Storm Chasers lead to one run.

Right-hander Alec Marsh made his Triple-A debut for Omaha, making his 26th minor league start of the season. Marsh went 5.0 innings and allowed just one run on two hits with three strikeouts in his Storm Chasers debut.

Omaha poured on four more runs in the fifth inning to open a 6-1 lead. Third baseman Nick Loftin started the scoring with a single that drove in Cancel. Rooker pushed two more across the dish with a double before center fielder Dairon Blanco hit an RBI single to score Rooker.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Rooker launched a monster home run over the left field berm. The ball came off the bat at 109 mph with an estimated distance of 456 feet. Omaha continued to pour it on, adding two more when left fielder Clay Dungan hit a ground-rule double. Garcia capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to put the Storm Chasers ahead 10-1.

Iowa plated a run in the top of the ninth on an Erick Castillo single up the middle.

Omaha’s bullpen came in and held Iowa to just one run over the final four innings. Right-handers Zach Haake, Ronald Bolaños, Stephen Woods Jr., and Nathan Webb each pitched an inning of relief to secure the 10-2 win.

The Storm Chasers and I-Cubs will wrap up their series on Saturday with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch. Coverage is scheduled to start at 6:15 p.m. on the Sarpy County Tourism Pregame Show on 1180 The Zone.

Tomorrow, the Storm Chasers will host Fan Appreciation Night presented by Werner Enterprises, with a post-game concert from Flo Rida.

After the series with Iowa, Omaha is off on Sunday before heading to St. Paul, Minn. for the final three games of the 2022 campaign.

The full 2022 schedule can be found here and single-game tickets are now available here.

For more tickets and more information, please visit omahastormchasers.com, call the Werner Park Ticket office at (402) 738-5100, and follow the team on social media. You can follow the team on Twitter @omastormchasers, on Instagram @omahastormchasers, and “like” the team on Facebook at facebook.com/omahastormchasers.