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| Clint Robinson is 18-for-his-last-38 (.474 average). He picked up three more hits Thursday night in Tacoma. (Photo: Brad Williams Photography) |
The Storm Chasers won their fourth in a row to improve to 70-55 and maintain their five-game lead over Memphis in the PCL American North.
Jarrod Dyson walked and Irving Falu bunted for a base hit to start the game against Tacoma southpaw Chris Seddon. The speedy duo then pulled off a double steal and came in to score on a Robinson single.
Robinson singled with two outs in the third and scored to make it a 3-0 contest on a Kila Ka’aihue double. The Rainiers, who had been held to a combined four runs in the first two games of the series, equaled that output with one swing in the fourth.
Matt Tuiasosopo blasted an opposite field grand slam to right with two outs off Omaha starter Sean O’Sullivan to put the hosts in the lead for the first time. Carlos Triunfel followed with a single but was thrown out at the plate by Dyson while trying to score on a Chris Gimenez base hit for the final out of the inning.
Dyson then used his speed again to create the tying run in the fifth. He drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third base on two ground outs and came plateward on a clutch two-out hit by Robinson, who at that point had collected 16 hits in his last 28 at-bats.
Ka’aihue’s sacrifice fly chased home Falu with the go-ahead run in the seventh before Joaquin Arias and Falu singled home insurance runs in the eighth to make it 7-4. O’Sullivan earned the win after he yielded four runs on eight hits, while walking two and fanning six, over six frames. The right-hander became the first Omaha hurler to win five straight turns since Chris George did it during the 2004 campaign.
Willy Lebron came in and retired all six hitters he faced before turning things over to Jesse Chavez, who worked a scoreless ninth to record his 16th save.
The series and eight-game road trip conclude Friday night with Omaha right-hander Vin Mazzaro getting the mound assignment against yet-to-be-determined starter for Tacoma.
Jarrod Dyson walked and Irving Falu bunted for a base hit to start the game against Tacoma southpaw Chris Seddon. The speedy duo then pulled off a double steal and came in to score on a Robinson single.
Robinson singled with two outs in the third and scored to make it a 3-0 contest on a Kila Ka’aihue double. The Rainiers, who had been held to a combined four runs in the first two games of the series, equaled that output with one swing in the fourth.
Matt Tuiasosopo blasted an opposite field grand slam to right with two outs off Omaha starter Sean O’Sullivan to put the hosts in the lead for the first time. Carlos Triunfel followed with a single but was thrown out at the plate by Dyson while trying to score on a Chris Gimenez base hit for the final out of the inning.
Dyson then used his speed again to create the tying run in the fifth. He drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third base on two ground outs and came plateward on a clutch two-out hit by Robinson, who at that point had collected 16 hits in his last 28 at-bats.
Ka’aihue’s sacrifice fly chased home Falu with the go-ahead run in the seventh before Joaquin Arias and Falu singled home insurance runs in the eighth to make it 7-4. O’Sullivan earned the win after he yielded four runs on eight hits, while walking two and fanning six, over six frames. The right-hander became the first Omaha hurler to win five straight turns since Chris George did it during the 2004 campaign.
Willy Lebron came in and retired all six hitters he faced before turning things over to Jesse Chavez, who worked a scoreless ninth to record his 16th save.
The series and eight-game road trip conclude Friday night with Omaha right-hander Vin Mazzaro getting the mound assignment against yet-to-be-determined starter for Tacoma.
