The Louisville Bats couldn’t keep pace in a 7-2 defeat to the Omaha Storm Chasers on Sunday afternoon at Louisville Slugger Field.
Brandon Leibrandt (L, 4-4) made his 16th start of the season and second of the series, coming off a strong performance Tuesday evening. Following a clean first inning, he ran into trouble in the second, when a run-scoring double by Drew Waters gave the Storm Chasers an early 1-0 lead.
Will Benson collected a double in the home half of the first, hitting the ball against a defensive shift into left field, but nothing would come of the two-out base runner.
In the second, Michael Chavis led off with a single, followed by an Austin Hendrick walk, providing the Bats a prime opportunity to equalize. Three straight outs, including an excellent diving grab in foul territory by Omaha catcher Luca Tresh, neutralized the threat.
The Bats continued to apply pressure in the third, when Carlos Jorge opened the inning with a single and quickly scampered to third base on a Francisco Urbaez single. Jorge crossed home plate on Benson’s RBI fielder’s choice, knotting the game at one apiece.
Omaha countered in the top of the fourth after Leibrandt walked two of the first three batters he faced. A single by Waters loaded the bases, allowing Andrew Velazquez to replenish the Storm Chasers lead with a sacrifice fly. Matthew Lugo added two more runs for Omaha with a double to right-center field.
Leibrandt was pulled after 3.2 innings with runners on the corners. His final line consisted of seven hits, four earned runs, three walks, and two strikeouts. Sam Benschoter recorded the final out of the fourth and went on to work 1.1 innings in relief.
The Storm Chasers added a run in the fifth following a leadoff double by Brett Squires. Gavin Cross scored the run on an RBI single, extending the Omaha lead to 5-1.
P.J. Higgins looked to spark a comeback with a double down the right field line to open the sixth. With two Bats retired and a pinch-hitting Hector Rodriguez at the plate, a swinging strikeout appeared to end the inning, until a dropped third strike by Omaha’s catcher allowed Rodriguez to reach first safely and Higgins to advance to third. Despite the renewed hope, Dominic Pitelli flied out to end the inning, and the Bats continued to trail by four runs into the seventh.
Luis Mey pitched a strong 1.2 innings out of the bullpen, striking out four before running into trouble in the seventh. Zach Maxwell entered with two outs and the bases loaded, recording a four-pitch strikeout to maintain the deficit. He would go on to record a clean frame in the eighth to keep the Storm Chasers at bay.
A two-out double by Urbaez in the bottom of the seventh helped bring the Bats a run closer, when Benson singled home his second RBI of the afternoon. Despite a leadoff single by Chavis in the eighth, the Bats continued to trail into the final frame, 5-2.
Connor Phillips pitched two outs of the ninth, struggling to keep the game within striking distance. The big hit came on a Brandon Drury two-RBI double, which increased the Storm Chasers advantage to the eventual final score of 7-2.
Louisville’s offense collected 10 hits in a losing effort, headlined by a 3-for-5 performance by Urbaez and a 2-for-5, two RBI effort from Benson. Despite the loss, the Bats won four of six games in the series and finished the season series with a 11-4 record against their division rivals.
The Bats (47-43, 8-9 2nd half) enjoy a few days off for the All-Star break before continuing second-half action on the road against the St. Paul Saints on Friday, July 17. First pitch from CHS Field is set for 8:07 p.m. ET. Nick Curran will be on the call for Sports Talk 790 AM.