SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH – The Omaha Storm Chasers (14-11/47-52) extended their winning streak to 8 games on Friday night, winning 9-7 over the Salt Lake Bees (9-16/48-51). Abraham Toro hit a pair of home runs, while Gavin Cross fell a single shy of the cycle as the Storm Chasers claimed a second straight series victory.
Omaha starter Vince Velasquez opened the game with a perfect bottom of the 1st inning, then Toro gave the Storm Chasers a lead with a leadoff home run in the top of the 2nd inning, making it 1-0 Omaha. Cross followed with a triple and Brandon Drury drove him in with an RBI, ending the frame leading 2-0.
In the bottom of the 2nd inning, a sacrifice fly off Velasquez cut the Storm Chasers’ lead to 2-1, but Omaha responded with 6 runs in the top of the 3rd inning to pull ahead 8-1. Drew Waters started the scoring with an RBI single and Abraham Toro launched a 3-run home run. Cross went back-to-back with Toro with a solo home run, his third straight game with a homer, then two batters later Peyton Wilson hit his first home run of the year to cap off the inning.
The Bees cut the deficit to 8-3 on an RBI double and single off Velasquez in the bottom of the 3rd inning, then further reduced Omaha’s lead to 8-5 in the frame with a two-run triple.
Velasquez put runners on the corners in the bottom of the 4th inning without recording an out and Ben Sears (6-1) took over on the mound, but allowed an inherited runner to score on a fielder’s choice, bringing the score to 8-6.
Sears came back with a scoreless 5th inning, and in the top of the 6th inning, former Bees outfielder Matthew Lugo hit a solo home run to extend the Storm Chasers’ lead to 9-6.
Omaha turned back to Sears in the bottom of the 6th inning, and after giving up a two-out single, Ryan Ramsey finished off the inning without a run coming across.
Ramsey returned with a scoreless bottom of the 7th inning but gave up a solo home run to cut the lead to 9-7 before finishing the bottom of the 8th inning.
The Storm Chasers picked up 4 hits in the top of the 9th inning but only brought across 1 insurance run on an RBI single from Drury that extended the lead to 10-7.
Justin Topa took the mound for the bottom of the 9th inning, and despite a pair of walks, finished the frame scoreless to earn his 3rd save for Omaha.
The Bees will host the Storm Chasers for the fifth game of the series on Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:35 P.M. CT and Omaha has Mitch Spence in line for the start.