BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Omaha Storm Chasers won their third straight game with a 5-2 victory against the Buffalo Bisons on Wednesday at Sahlen Field.
Omaha got on the board in the first inning for a second straight game and once again led for the entire contest. Ryan Fitzgerald drew a leadoff walk, then Drew Waters followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position. Nick Loftin drew the second walk of the inning and loaded the bases, for Brian O’Keefe to grounde out into a double play but plate Fitzgerald for a one-run lead. The next at-bat, Tyler Gentry crushed his 13th homer of the season, a 2-run shot to left field as the Chasers went ahead 3-0.
Buffalo answered in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two-run homer and cut the Omaha lead to 3-2 off Omaha starting pitcher Daniel Lynch IV.
Those two runs were the only Lynch IV allowed in his team-leading 11th quality start of the season, as he kept the Bisons to two runs on three hits over six innings, tying a season high with eight strikeouts, while pitching a trio of 1-2-3 innings.
The Chasers threatened in the top of the third and fourth inning with bases loaded twice but stranded six runners on base off of four hits and a walk with no runs on the board.
After going scoreless for three innings, Omaha plated two more runs in the fifth as back—to-back hits by Gentry and CJ Alexander and a drawn walk by Devin Mann loaded the bases for a third straight inning. Cam Devanney blooped a single into center field and scored Gentry, then Fitzgerald followed with a fielder’s choice that scored Alexander and extended the lead to 5-2 at the end of the fifth.
Andrew Hoffmann, Jonathan Bowlan and Carlos Hernández each tossed a scoreless inning of relief behind Lynch IV to finish off the last three innings of the game. The trio combined for one hit and one walk allowed and Hernández earned his fifth save of the season, securing a 5-2 win for Omaha, the team’s third straight and 8th in the last 10 games.
The Storm Chasers continue this week’s series against the Bisons at Sahlen Field on Thursday, August 22 as first pitch is slated for 5:35 p.m. CT and right-handed pitcher Dinelson Lamet will take the mound for Omaha.
