MEMPHIS, TENN. – Rodolfo Durán led the charge with a five-hit night and Dinelson Lamet fired his second straight quality start as the Omaha Storm Chasers took the first game of the series with the Memphis Redbirds in 13-3 win Tuesday at AutoZone Park.
While neither team scored in the first, the Redbirds struck first in the bottom of the second as four hits and a sacrifice fly brought in three runs for a 3-0 lead in favor of Memphis against Lamet. Those three runs wound out being the ones of the game, as the Storm Chasers responded with 13 unanswered.
Omaha tied the game in the top of the fourth as Tyler Gentry and Nate Eaton walked, then three straight two-out singles brought the score even. Durán singled home Gentry, his second of five hits and four runs batted in during the game. Cam Devanney singled home Eaton and Ryan Fitzgerald singled home Durán to tie the game at 3-3.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Storm Chasers scored two more runs for a 5-3 lead and took their first lead of the game as Nick Loftin and Eaton drew two walks and Nick Pratto singled to load the bases. Durán connected on his second single of the game, his third of five hits of the game, and drove home Loftin and Pratto for a two-run lead.
Omaha knocked in three runs of insurance in the top of the seventh inning for a five-run lead as Eaton and Durán hit back-to-back singles and Devanney ripped a gapper into left center field and plated Eaton for a run of insurance to extend the game to a 6-3 lead, his team-leading 70th run batted in of the season. Waters followed with a triple that crossed home Durán and Devanney for an 8-3 lead.
Lamet ended his night earning his third quality of the season with the Chasers as he tossed 6.0 innings for a fourth straight start. The right-hander pitched 1-2-3 innings in the 1st, 3rd and 5th and struck out just one batter before Angel Zerpa relieved him in the bottom of the seventh inning. Zerpa tossed two scoreless innings, retiring all six batters he faced with 1-2-3 innings in the 7th and 8th innings.
The Chasers added another run of insurance in the top of the eighth inning as Durán hit his fifth hit of the night with a two-out single, a career-best, as he scored Gentry for a 9-3 lead.
Omaha added four more insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning. Chris Brito hit a two-run single for his first Triple-A hit, driving home Drew Waters and Loftin, then Eaton brought home a run with a sacrifice fly to center field and Brito crossed home on a wild pitch to increase the large lead to 13-3.
Durán’s 5-for-5 day at the plate was Omaha’s first five-hit game since Dairon Blanco on September 15, 2022 at Columbus, the first of Rodolfo’s career. With a walk in the ninth, the team’s 10th of the day, Durán was the first Storm Chasers to reach base 6 times in one game since Nicky Lopez on July 27, 2018, at Fresno. Durán was the first Chaser to reach base six times in six plate appearances since Brett Eibner on April 9, 2014 vs. Memphis.
After Zerpa’s two perfect innings, Memphis native Jonathan Bowlan worked a scoreless night, pitching around a double with two strikeouts to secure the 10-run victory, Omaha’s fifth double-digit win of the year.
Omaha scored 13 unanswered runs after falling behind 3-0 in the second inning, with Chasers pitching holding the Redbirds to two hits and a walk over the last seven innings of the game.
The Storm Chasers continue this week’s series against the Redbirds on Wednesday September 4 as first pitch is slated for 6:45 p.m. CT and left-handed pitcher Tyson Guerrero will take the mound for Omaha.
