PAPILLION, NEB. – The Omaha Storm Chasers (10-11/43-52) collected their 4th straight win and swept a 3-game series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (10-11/45-51) with a 12-9 victory on Sunday. The Storm Chasers plated 7 runs in the 4th inning, thanks in part to a grand slam from Brandon Drury, while 7 different players drove in a run for Omaha throughout the game in the 3-run win.
The IronPigs opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the 1st inning off Storm Chasers starter Mitch Spence, going ahead 2-0.
Lehigh Valley added 2 more runs in the top of the 2nd inning on a 2-run homer off Spence, but Omaha retaliated with 4 runs in the bottom half, starting with a 2-run single from Andrew Velazquez. John Rave followed with a sacrifice fly and Kameron Misner tied the game 4-4 with an RBI single.
Spence allowed a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 3rd inning to make it 5-4 IronPigs but came back out with a scoreless top of the 4th inning.
In the bottom of the 4th inning, the Storm Chasers broke it open with 7 runs. Velazquez started the scoring by dashing home on a wild pitch, then Abraham Toro sent home Rave on an RBI single to give Omaha a 6-5 lead. Gavin Cross followed with a bases-loaded walk, and Drury made it an 11-5 lead with his fifth career grand slam.
Ryan Ramsey (5-4) took over for Spence on the mound in the top of the 5th inning, and the IronPigs halved the deficit to 11-8 with a 3-run home run in the frame, the second long ball of the game for Lehigh Valley shortstop Robert Moore, but Brett Squires hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom half to bring the lead back to 12-8.
From there, Ramsey worked a scoreless top of the 6th inning and Matt Moore kept Lehigh Valley from scoring in the 7th inning in his Royals organization debut.
Scott Barlow pitched the top of the 8th inning, working the Storm Chasers’ 3rd straight scoreless frame, and while Justin Topa allowed an unearned run to score on an error from Drury in the top of the 9th inning, he closed the door to finish the 12-9 win.
The Storm Chasers will have the day off on Monday as they travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Bees for a 6-game series starting on Tuesday. First pitch of the series opener is set for 7:35 P.M. CT and Omaha has Henry Williams scheduled to start.