Garcia Earns a Pair of Hits and a Pair of Runs Scored in Omaha Loss
September 1, 2022 – International League (IL) – Omaha Storm Chasers News Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Omaha Storm Chasers dropped game three to the Saint Paul Saints 18-6 on Thursday from CHS field. The Saints now lead the series 2-1, but Omaha leads the season series 11-10.
After game two was scoreless through the first three innings, Omaha scored a run in the first inning. Shortstop Maikel Garcia hit a single to start the game before stealing his fifth base at the Triple-A level. Right fielder Edward Olivares hit an RBI single to bring Garcia in and put the Storm Chasers ahead 1-0.
In the second inning, St. Paul tied the score on a Nash Knight home run.
The Storm Chasers started the third with three consecutive hits, with Garcia starting it off with his second hit in as many at bats. A wild pitch would score Garcia and put third baseman Nick Loftin at third before Olivares earned his second RBI single of the night.
In the fourth, first baseman Gabriel Cancel hit a home run for Omaha to extend the lead to 4-1.
The Saints exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the frame, using nine hits and forcing the Storm Chasers to change pitchers twice in the inning. Matt Wallner hit a three-run home run and Jermaine Palacios hit a two-run home run, part of five consecutive hits for the Saints that gave them a 10-4 lead.
Right-hander Zach Haake finished the fourth inning with a pair of strikeouts, making his Triple-A debut after getting transferred to Omaha on Tuesday.
Loftin scored on a pair of St. Paul errors in the fifth, putting the score at 10-5.
The Storm Chasers loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth, getting a hit by pitch and two consecutive walks to bring catcher Freddy Fermin to the plate. Fermin drew an RBI walk to cut the deficit to four runs and extend his on-base streak to 24 games.
In the bottom of the eighth, Wallner earned an RBI triple that split the gap between the center fielder and the right fielder. Wallner’s triple was the final piece needed for him to hit for the cycle. He becomes the first St. Paul Saint to hit for the cycle and the first against Omaha since Doug Bernier did it in the 2016 season.
When the dust settled in the eighth, the Saints had scored eight runs to take a 18-6 lead.
The Storm Chasers put a man on in the top of the ninth, but a double play ended the game, dropping game three.
Omaha and St. Paul are scheduled to play game four on Friday with a 7:07 p.m. first pitch. Coverage will start at 6:45 p.m. on the on the Sarpy County Tourism Pregame Show on 1180 The Zone. The Storm Chasers are scheduled to start left-hander Austin Cox (5-7,4.56) and the Saints look to send Simeon Woods Richardson to the mound.
After this road trip to St. Paul, Omaha will return to Werner Park for a seven-game series against the Indianapolis Indians. The series opener against the Indians is slated for 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday, September 6.
The series against Indianapolis features Stem Educators night on Friday, September 9, presented by Meta & Olsson. Omaha will also host First Responders Day, presented by Werner Enterprises, on Sunday, September 11.
The full 2022 schedule can be found here and single-game tickets are now available here.
For more tickets and more information, please visit omahastormchasers.com, call the Werner Park Ticket office at (402) 738-5100, and follow the team on social media. You can follow the team on Twitter @omastormchasers, on Instagram @omahastormchasers, and “like” the team on Facebook at facebook.com/omahastormchasers.
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