Iowa Holds Off Omaha 7-3

Iowa starter Jen-Ho Tseng fired seven strong innings and left fielder Bijan Rademacher 's two-run single highlighted a three-score tie-breaking seventh inning, while Storm Chasers second baseman Corey Toups and right fielder Hunter Dozier both homered in the Cubs' 7-3 victory over Omaha on Saturday afternoon at Werner Park.

Tseng (7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) at one point set down 12 of 13 batters faced to earn his sixth victory with the I-Cubs. Reliever Pierce Johnson (1.0 IP, 3 K) quelled a ninth-inning Omaha surge to notch his ninth save of 2017. Storm Chasers reliever Eric Stout (1.2 IP, H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, K) suffered the loss to fall to 5-2.
Entering the seventh tied at one, the I-Cubs broke through with a trio of tallies. After 2B Jemile Weeks drew a bases-loaded walk to push Iowa ahead 2-1, Rademacher dropped a two-run bloop single into left-center to extend the advantage to three. C Luis Villegas cut that margin down to 4-2 in the last of the seventh, however the Cubs plated three insurance scores in the top of the ninth.
Iowa also struck first in the opening frame when C Taylor Davis bounced a single into center field to plate RF John Andreoli. Two innings later, Toups smashed his game-tying solo shot to straightaway center to even the contest. Dozier would blast Omaha's second longball of the afternoon with a solo blast to left in the ninth as part of the Storm Chasers' late comeback effort, though the Storm Chasers would ultimately strand the bases loaded.
Davis (2-4, 3 RBI, BB) and Rademacher (2-4, R, 3 RBI, BB, SB) each collected two hits and drove in three runs tolead the Iowa offensive, while Andreoli (2-4, 2 R, 2B, BB) also recorded a pair of knocks. Toups (2-3, R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB) and Villegas (2-3, RBI), in addition to 1B Frank Schwindel (2-4, R) and 3B Garin Cecchini (2-4), meanwhile, all posted two-hit efforts in the defeat.
The two teams are slated to continue their four-game set on Sunday evening, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT. RHP Christian Binford (6-10, 7.44) is slated to toe the rubber for the Storm Chasers, with the I-Cubs expected to give the nod to LHP Rob Zastryzny (2-3, 9.54).
Tickets are still available for that game and all remaining Storm Chasers contests, 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 ours, please click here.