SAINT PAUL, MINN. — The Omaha Storm Chasers bounced back Wednesday against the St. Paul Saints with a 6-0 shutout win at at CHS Field, the team’s third shutout victory of the season.
The Chasers jumped out to a commanding lead in the top of the second inning, plating five runs to hold a lead the rest of the night. Tyler Gentry got the run parade started with a two-run double that drove home Nick Loftin and CJ Alexander. Two at-bats later, Austin Nola collected his first hit of the season with a two-run single to right field that scored Ryan Fitzgerald and Gentry.
Drew Waters capped the scoring in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly to left field that brought Nola home. Waters crushed his fourth home run of the season to open the top of the fifth inning and increase the Omaha lead to the 6-0 that held to be final.
Omaha starting pitcher Luis Cessa set the tone on the mound, as he opened the game with five scoreless innings and five strikeouts, holding the Saints to just two hits allowed before handing the game off to the bullpen.
Walter Pennington, Evan Sisk, Carlos Hernandez and Will Klein combined to hold St. Paul over the final four innings as the pitching staff as a whole combined for 12 strikeouts.
Pennington loaded the bases in the sixth but worked out of trouble and struck out three in his scoreless inning before Sisk took over in the seventh inning and used a double play to erase a leadoff walk.
Hernandez worked around a double and struck out two as he stranded a runner on third base in the bottom of the eighth inning before Klein worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a strike out to finish off the game 6-0 for the Chasers win.
The Storm Chasers continue this week’s series against St. Paul on Thursday with a 6:37 p.m. CT first pitch at CHS Field and right-handed pitcher Jonathan Bowlan is slated to pitch for Omaha.
