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| Irving Falu was 3-for-6 with a home run and two runs scored. (File photo: Minda Haas / Royal Blues) |
The Storm Chasers collected 16 hits, drew nine walks and took advantage of three errors to improve their overall record to 79-61 and their record away from home to 39-29.
Irving Falu’s solo home run in the first inning got the scoring started before the visitors added a trio of runs with two outs in the third. David Lough tripled and scored after an errant throw to third base prior to Manny Pina’s two-run double that made it a 4-0 game.
Lou Montanez tripled in a run and scored during a three-run bottom half of the third that brought the Cubs back to within one. Iowa moved in front for the first time in the fourth when Marquez Smith delivered an RBI double and scored when Chris Robinson followed with a base hit.
Sean O’Sullivan was removed later in the frame with the bases loaded and one out, but Lebron worked out of further trouble when he struck out Scott Moore and saw Robinson tagged out at the plate while trying to score on a wild pitch that caromed right to catcher Cody Clark off the back wall. Lebron earned his first Triple-A win after giving up two hits and striking out three.
Omaha regained the lead for good in the fifth on Yamaico Navarro’s two-out, two-run homer, his second since joining the team. Clark’s two-run double was the centerpiece of the season-best rally in which 15 men went to the plate. They produced nine runs on nine hits, extending the advantage to 10 runs. Falu and Lough each had two hits while Pina batted with the bases loaded two times in the frame and drove in a pair of runs.
Hitters two through six in the Chasers lineup – consisting of Falu, Lough, Joaquin Arias, Navarro and Pina – were a combined 14-for-25 with two home runs and nine runs batted in.
Box Score
The series continues Saturday night when Omaha RHP Vin Mazzaro (7-2, 4.29) takes the mound against Iowa LHP Chris Rusin (4-2, 4.29).
