The Omaha Storm Chasers continued their week-long series out in St. Paul against the Saints (MIN). After rain delayed the ending of Friday’s game to Saturday, the Saints used a late home run to win that game 4-2. In Game 2, the Chasers scored three times in the second inning and the bullpen shut down the Saints allowing Omaha to escape with a 4-2 victory.

Let’s recap the doubleheader here:

GAME 1: 

The scoring started in the 2nd Inning on Friday when CJ Alexander doubled to right center (10) to lead off. Devin Mann then walked after overturning a strike three call. Alexander was tagged out on a Tyler Gentry ground ball. Mann and Gentry then executed a double steal. Mann would then score on a wild pitch to give the Chasers an early 1-0 lead.

It did not take long for the Saints to respond. After Alex Isola hit a double down the left field line, Tony Kemp gave St. Paul the lead with a home run over the right field fence. 2-1 Saints after two innings.

Alexander would continue his big game by blasting a solo shot over the right field fence to tie the game for the Storm Chasers in the 4th Inning. 

That’d be the last bit of action we’d get for a while as the game entered a rain delay in the bottom of the 4th. The game would be suspended after a 90-minute delay and would get picked up on Saturday afternoon.

The suspended game restarted at 1:07 pm on Saturday, one hour before the first pitch of the scheduled game.

Neither offense got going in the final five innings of the game. Both teams only had one hit each, but St. Paul made theirs count. Michael Helman launched a 2-R home run off Colin Selby in the Bottom of the 8th Inning that barely cleared the right field fence. 

The Chasers went in order in the final four innings of the game and were unable to catch up with St. Paul as the Saints won the game 4-2.

Selby took the loss going 1.2 innings and allowing one hit while striking out three. Walter Pennington struck out five and walked two in three innings of work to pick up where Zach Davies left off. Davies also went three innings giving up three hits, two runs, and walks and K’d two.

CJ Alexander still looks like he hasn’t skipped a beat since his injury. He finished 2-4 with a double and a home run. 

GAME 2:

The Chasers and Saints played their regularly scheduled contest shortly after, a seven-inning game.

Omaha struck first on an RBI single by Tyler Gentry to score Logan Porter, who doubled to lead off the inning. Then Ryan Fitzgerald scored on an error on an error by Dalton Shuffield. Gentry would score on Nate Eaton’s 14th double of the season and that would give the Chasers a 3-0 lead after an inning and a half.

Once again, the Saints responded quickly as Chris Williams blasted a solo homer to center in the second inning then Michael Helman clocked his solo homer, his second of the day, in the third inning to cut into the Chasers lead.

The Chasers’ bullpen held down the fort from there, shutting out St. Paul for the final four innings of the game and holding them to just one baserunner.

Nick Loftin hit a solo home run, his second of the season and second of the series, to pad the lead for Omaha in the Top of the 7th. It was one that barely cleared the wall in left field and the glove of Alex Isola, who made a great attempt to deny the home run.

Sam Long retired the Saints to earn his second save of the season and give Omaha a 4-2 victory in Game 2.

Carlos Hernandez, still on a rehab assignment from Kansas City, was credited with his second win of the season for the Storm Chasers. Hernandez went two innings allowing just one run on two hits while walking one and striking out three.

Jonah Dipoto got the start for Omaha and went two innings allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out two. He did not allow a walk.

QUICK NOTES:

– Omaha secures a split of the week-long series with St. Paul and will enter tomorrow with a chance to win their second straight road series victory.

– The Storm Chasers move a half-game back of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY) for first place in the IL. (SWB’s game was postponed today)

– Omaha is now 13-4 in May.

– Mike Jirschele is not on the bench this weekend due to the Royals celebrating the tenth anniversary of the 2014 World Series. He is expected to be back for the Chasers’ next homestand starting on Tuesday vs Columbus (CLE)

– Walter Pennington now has a 1.21 ERA in 18 games. 

– Nick Loftin has homered in two of his last three games. He entered this series without a home run.

NEXT GAME:

The Storm Chasers wrap up the series in St. Paul tomorrow at 2:07 pm