The Louisville Bats opened their series with the Omaha Storm Chasers by claiming a 5-1 win at Werner Park on Tuesday afternoon.
Louisville emerged victorious with help from stellar pitching, blanking five Omaha hitters on the day, and superb base running with 5 total stolen bases.
Darren McCaughan (W, 3-1) got the starting bid for the Bats, while Omaha’s Aaron Sanchez (L, 0-4) would start things out for the home side.
The Storm Chasers would go on the offensive early with an RBI single by Kameron Misner in the bottom of the first.
Louisville would follow up with a flurry of offense in the top of the third. Ivan Johnson would not be denied as he stole both second and third after a single. Blake Dunn would then score him on a single to center field. Dunn would then swipe a bag of his own, with Edwin Arroyo scoring him on a double into left field, claiming the lead for Louisville at 2-1.
The Bats would not stop their stealing there, as reigning International League Player of the Week Noelvi Marte would record his sixth game in a row with a stolen base in the fourth inning, the longest streak by a Louisville player since Zack Cozart in 2010. It would be Marte's seventh steal in the last six games.
Sanchez’s day would be done in the sixth inning. The righty would go 5.0 innings, giving up two runs on five hits, striking out four and walking two in the loss.
Jose Cuas would come in for Sanchez, where Hector Rodriguez would take him deep to start the inning. It is the first home run Cuas allowed this year, and is Rodriguez’s fifth of the year, lengthening the lead for Louisville 3-1.
McCaughan would exit in the seventh, going a solid 6.0 innings on 88 pitches, 54 of which were strikes. He only allowed one run on four hits, while surrendering just one walk to earn the win.
Andrew Chafin would be his replacement, where he would make quick work of Omaha in just seven pitches in the seventh.
The Bats offense would surge once again in the eighth. Arroyo and Rodriguez would both get on base to set up a Marte single, scoring both and extending the lead further, 5-1.
The Louisville pitching staff was sharp from with Zach Maxwell closing things out to secure the 5-1 victory for the Bats. Three Louisville players would notch two hit games, and Ivan Johnson would steal three bags himself in the win.
The Bats (17-11) continue their series against Omaha (12-15) on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:35 p.m. EST at Werner Park. Nick Curran will be on the call on Sports Talk 790.