Chasers Shut out Louisville in 8-0 win
PAPILLION, NEB. – The Omaha Storm Chasers won a second straight game and took the series lead over the Louisville Bats with an 8-0 shutout win Thursday at Werner Park. The Chasers got on the board first for the second time in the series as Drew Waters crushed his 11th
PAPILLION, NEB. – The Omaha Storm Chasers won a second straight game and took the series lead over the Louisville Bats with an 8-0 shutout win Thursday at Werner Park.
The Chasers got on the board first for the second time in the series as Drew Waters crushed his 11th homer of the season to right field, a solo shot with one out in the bottom of the first inning, for a 1-0 lead in favor of Omaha.
Omaha starting pitcher Alec Marsh tossed 4.0 scoreless innings with five strikeouts, facing the minimum over his third start of the month.
Anthony Veneziano took over on the mound in the top of the fifth inning and followed with 4.0 scoreless innings of his own. The lefty did not walk a batter and struck out two, in Omaha’s longest relief appearance of the season.
Omaha knocked in another run in the fifth inning, as Devin Mann and Cam Devanney opened the inning with singles, then Austin Nola loaded the bases with a bunt. John Rave grounded into a force out and plated Mann for the two-run lead, 2-0 in favor of the Chasers.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Storm Chasers added two more runs of insurance as Nick Pratto doubled and Mann hit his 10th home run of the season for a 4-0 lead.
Omaha added another four runs of insurance in the bottom of the seventh to double the lead to 8-0. With one out, Rave connected on a solo homer, his 18th long ball of the season. Nate Eaton followed with a single and two at-bats later, Ryan Fitzgerald was hit by a pitch that put two runners on base. Tyler Gentry doubled home Eaton, then Pratto reached base on a run-scoring fielding error and Mann singled in Gentry for an eight-run lead.
Veneziano fired a 1-2-3 eighth inning to complete his fourth scoreless frame, as the lefty earned his fourth win of the season. Steven Cruz entered the game for Omaha in the ninth inning and worked around a two-out walk for a scoreless inning to complete the Chasers’ seventh shutout of the season for an 8-0 victory.
The Storm Chasers continue this week’s series against the Bats at Werner Park on Friday, August 16 as first pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. CT and right-handed pitcher Dinelson Lamet will get the start for Omaha.