Chasers Keep Season Alive, Take Game 2 in 11 Innings 5-4

PAPILLION, NEB. – The Omaha Storm Chasers won Game 2 and forced a decisive Game 3 in the International League Championship Series with a 5-4 walk-off win in 11 innings Wednesday at Werner Park.

The Clippers controlled the first half of the game, with solo home runs from Micah Pries in the second inning and Johnathan Rodriguez in the fourth off Omaha starter Chandler Champlain for a 2-0 Columbus lead through the middle of the fifth inning.

Champlain kept the Clippers to just the two runs on five hits over 6.0 innings, striking out four without walking a batter in the no-decision.

After the Chasers were held scoreless in four innings, they cut the Columbus lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth as Ryan Fitzgerald led off the frame with a ground-rule double, then Cam Devanney softly singled to put runners on the corners. John Rave grounded out into a double play but plated Fitzgerald for the first Chasers run.

Columbus answered right back in the top of the sixth inning as Tyler Freeman, the first batter that reliever Noah Murdock faced, hit a solo home run to grow the Clipper lead back to two runs, 3-1.

After getting the first two outs of the sixth, Austin Cox recorded the final out, as Omaha pieced together its pitching the rest of the way. Cox worked a scoreless inning, getting the first two outs of the seventh before Dan Altavilla came in to finish the frame. Altavilla allowed three singles to the five batters he faced, getting the last out of the seventh and first of the eighth, before handing the ball off to Evan Sisk.

Sisk not only stranded the two runners he inherited from Altavilla, but one of his own, getting a strikeout and groundout to leave the bases loaded and Omaha within two at the middle of the eighth.

With Rave on first base in the bottom of the eighth inning after a one-out walk, Nate Eaton hit a foul ball down the right field line that was dropped by Pries at first base, extending his plate appearance by one more pitch. On the next pitch, Eaton crushed a two-run homer to left field to tie the game.

Sisk kept Columbus off the board in the ninth inning for 1.2 scoreless innings, but Omaha could not score the game-winning run in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.

Eric Cerantola entered the game for the 10^th inning and shut down the Clippers, with Tyler Gentry throwing out the possible go-ahead run at home from right field for the second out of the inning, to keep the game tied.

While Cerantola got the first two outs of the 11^th inning on strikeouts, the Clippers took the lead back for a 4-3 score as a two-out walk led to a go-ahead RBI single, but Cerantola recorded his 4^th strikeout of the game to keep the deficit at just one run going to the bottom of the inning.

With Eaton on second base as the placed runner to open the frame, Drew Waters drew a lead-off walk, then Brian O’Keefe singled Eaton home on a ground ball into left field, moving Waters to third base in the process. Nick Pratto followed with a sacrifice fly deep to center field to plate the game-winning run, Waters from third, for the walk-off win.

The Storm Chasers conclude the International League Championship Series against the Clippers with a winner-take-all Game 3, Thursday September 26. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. CT and right-handed pitcher Dinelson Lamet will make the start for Omaha to try and send the Chasers to the Triple-A National Championship game.