Chasers stumble in second inning in loss to Bats

PAPILLION, Neb. -- The Omaha Storm Chasers allowed six runs in the top of the second inning and could not overcome the early deficit, falling to the Louisville Bats, 8-5, on Thursday at Werner Park.

Louisville (3-6) plated the first two runs of the game against right-hander Daniel Mengden (Loss, 0-1) on a two-run homer from Ronnie Dawson. Four batters later, the Bats added to their second-inning surge with a three-run homer from Miguel Hernandez. Louisville capped the scoring in the second inning on a bases-loaded four-pitch walk, ultimately scoring six runs on three hits, four walks, and one hit-by-pitch in the inning.

The Bats added a run in the third inning on a solo home run by JT Riddle before scoring their final run of the night in the fourth, when Allen Cordoba singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by Trey Amburgey.

Omaha (3-6) started a comeback in the bottom of the fourth inning against right-hander Graham Ashcraft (Win, 1-1) when catcher MJ Melendez singled, moved to second on a single by third baseman Emmanuel Rivera, and later scored on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Gabriel Cancel.

The Storm Chasers took advantage of Bats' errors to add runs in the fifth and sixth. Shortstop Iván Castillo reached on an error by Cordoba to begin the fifth, moved to second on a wild pitch, advance to third on a single by right fielder Nick Pratto, and ultimately scored on a groundout by Melendez. In the sixth, Omaha loaded the bases with two outs on a walk, error, and a single before securing their first run of the frame on a bases-loaded walk to trim the deficit to five. After a pitching change, Pratto hit a pop-up with two outs that Hernandez couldn't catch, allowing two runs to score in left fielder Dairon Blanco and centerfielder JaCoby Jones.

The Omaha bullpen combined to allow two runs on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk, including scoreless outings from right-hander Ándres Núñez, right-hander Domingo Tapia, right-hander Jace Vines, and left-hander Sam Freeman. The Louisville bullpen held Omaha off the bases after the sixth inning, with left-hander Phillip Diehl, right-hander Pedro Payano, and right-hander Fernando Cruz (Save, 1) combining to retire the final 10 batters they faced.

The Storm Chasers continue their first home series of the season against Louisville on Friday, when Omaha right-hander Jackson Kowar (0-0, -.--) faces Louisville left-hander Bernardo Flores (0-1, 4.50). First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. and coverage begins at 6:15 p.m. with the Sarpy County Tourism Pregame Show on 1180 The Zone.

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.