Omaha Rallies to take Lead in 8th, but Lose to St. Paul 8-6

ST. PAUL, MINN. –Down by four runs after the sixth inning, the Omaha Storm Chasers rallied to take a two-run lead in the eighth, but the St. Paul Saints countered with four in the bottom half in a 8-6 defeat at CHS Field Thursday night.

Storm Chasers starter Austin Cox held the Saints to a run over 4.0 innings in the game, just surrendering the run on a pair of hits in the bottom of the first.

Behind Cox, reliever Evan Sisk allowed a pair of unearned runs and Jackson Kowar surrendered a solo homer in the sixth, but also pitched a scoreless seventh, at the time keeping the game tied.

Omaha entered the seventh down by four and promptly tied the game, as Tucker Bradley doubled in a run with no outs and Nick Loftin tied the game on his second three-run homer in as many days.

The Chasers loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth with a single and two walks , then Samad Taylor gave Omaha its first lead of the game with a two-run single, at the time a 6-4 lead.

With Omaha up by two, reliever Andrés Núñez (3-2) loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth, then got a strikeout and with two outs, brought St. Paul left fielder Andrew Stevenson to two strikes. A strike away from going to the ninth, Stevenson laced a bases-clearing triple into the right-center field alley to give the Saints a lead, then scored on an errant throw, a “little league grand slam” so-to-speak.

In the top of the ninth, two more walks and a Dairon Blanco single loaded the bases, but the game ended with the bases loaded, as a flyout and strikeout left the tying run on second base and go-ahead run on first.

Blanco reached in all five of his plate appearances, hit by a pitch twice with three singles as well. After being hit by a pitch in the second, he stole second and third base uncontested. After his single in the eighth, Blanco stole second base, then with a Brewer Hicklen walk, the two pulled off a double steal, again uncontested, to give Blanco a four-steal game for the first time in his career. The four steals gave Omaha’s center fielder sole possession of the Minor League steals lead, with 33 stolen bases in 36 games this season.

With Hicklen’s steal, plus a stolen base by Loftin in the eighth, Omaha swiped six bags as a team for the third time this year and are now tied with the Worchester Red Sox for the Triple-At lead with 89 steals this year, tied ninth in Minor League Baseball.

As a team, the Chasers drew seven walks, including two from Hicklen and three from Angelo Castellano, while Taylor and Loftin combined to drive in five at the top of the order.

Omaha will try and even the series at two games each on Friday, with Drew Parrish starting on the mound for the Storm Chasers and a 7:07 p.m. CT first pitch.