Omaha’s offense comes alive in win at Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Omaha Storm Chasers (48-46) took down the Syracuse Mets (42-53) 10-4 in game two of the six-game series between the two teams. The Chasers lead the series 2-0 and have outscored the S-Mets 15-5 through the first two games between the teams in more than 30 years.

Omaha stole six bases and got caught once in the game, moving their International League-leading stolen base percentage to .870.

Center fielder Drew Waters drew a walk to start the game, now having reached base in all 11 games that he has played for the Storm Chasers. Waters would swipe second base to put a runner in scoring position with one out. Second baseman Michael Massey moved Waters to third with a flyout to deep center field, but Omaha came up empty in the frame to leave the scoreboard still.

Left fielder Brewer Hicklen broke the tie in the second with his 16th homer of the season off right-hander Jacob deGrom who made his second rehab start with Syracuse. Third baseman Clay Dungan and shortstop Iván Castillo put two more runners on base with consecutive walks with nobody out. The pair executed a double steal to put two more runners in scoring position. Waters launched a homer to clear the bases and push Omaha’s lead to 4-0 in the top of the second.

Waters used a single in the top of the fifth to reach base in his third plate appearance of the game. Catcher Salvador Perez hit a single to move Perez to third with a single in his second game of a rehab assignment. The pair would end up stranded and keep Omaha’s lead at four.

Right-hander Carlos Hernández (Win, 2-4) went 5.0 innings, keeping the S-Mets off the scoreboard despite allowing six hits. He also struck out five in his longest outing in more than a month.

Hicklen started the sixth with a single into right field before getting thrown out trying to steal second base, the first time he had been caught on the bases this season. He was the last member of the International League’s top 10 in stolen bases to be caught. He had stolen 19 consecutive bases for Omaha to start the season.

Waters singled in the seventh, stole second and third, before scoring on a wild pitch to give the Storm Chasers a 5-0 lead heading into the seventh inning stretch.

Syracuse got their first run of the game in the bottom of the inning, using two singles and two walks to cut Omaha’s lead to 4-1.

Waters continued his great game with a diving catch in the outfield that took away potential extra bases from the S-Mets leadoff man in the eighth inning. Syracuse put a trio of singles together to put up another run before Omaha forced a double play that ended the inning with the Chasers leading 5-2.

Castillo hit a single to start the ninth before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt from designated hitter Dairon Blanco. Waters drew a 10-pitch walk in his final plate appearance of the game, reaching base in every time that he stepped to the plate. Catcher José Briceño provided another insurance run with a single that scored Castillo from second before Massey walked to juice the bases.

Eaton hit his third triple of the season to extend Omaha’s lead to seven. Hicklen hit a single that would score the Chasers’ 10th run of the game.

The S-Mets hit a two-run homer off right-hander Ryan Weiss in the ninth, cutting the Storm Chasers’ lead to 10-4. Weiss would get out of the inning to win game two 10-4.

Omaha and Syracuse will be in action again on Thursday for game three-of-six. First pitch is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. CDT with coverage starting at 5:15 p.m. on the Sarpy County Tourism Pregame Show on 1180 The Zone. The Storm Chasers are scheduled to send left-hander Austin Cox (4-5, 4.28) to the mound while the S-Mets give the ball to left hander Nate Fisher to start the game.

The Storm Chasers will return home for a six-game set against St. Paul the first week of August. Thursday, August 4 is Military Appreciation night presented by RTG Medical with special events scheduled to show our appreciation for the military.

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.