Iowa Takes Series Opener with Help from the Long Ball
June 28, 2023 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release
PAPILLION, NE - The Iowa Cubs (44-30) kicked off their series versus the Omaha Storm Chasers (38-35) with a 9-2 win Wednesday afternoon at Werner Park.
Success came early for Iowa as Yonathan Perlaza led the game off with a single to extend his on-base streak to 34 games. Just two hitters later, Nelson Velázquez crushed a home run 453 feet to give Iowa a quick 2-0 lead.
The Storm Chasers would not answer back until the fourth inning where they led things off with a walk and single. A Tucker Bradley sacrifice bunt and Tyler Gentry double tied the game at two.
In the top of the sixth, Iowa drew four straight walks to take the lead back 3-2. They plated another run from Segio Alcántara's sacrifice fly.
In the very next inning, Velázquez and Matt Mervis reached on a walk and single, respectively. Jake Slaughter broke the game open with his 14th home run of the season, bringing his season RBI total to 57 as he scored both runners.
Iowa went on to score two more runs in the eighth inning. Two lead-off walks followed by a double play and RBI single from Velázquez secured the series opener victory.
Caleb Kilian tossed 5.1 innings, allowing just two runs on three hits and one walk. Iowa's bullpen of Jordan Holloway, Ryan Jensen and Daniel Palencia allowed no runs and just two hits to close the game.
POSTGAME NOTES:
- Iowa's win marks their first in a series opener since May 23 in Nashville.
- With the victory, the I-Cubs move to 14 games over .500 for the second time this season. They previously reached that mark at 43-29 earlier this month.
- After Velázquez and Slaughter homers, Iowa is now 32-17 when hitting a home run, 13-9 on the road.
Iowa returns to action for game two of their six-game series tomorrow night. First pitch from Werner Park is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT. You can listen to all Iowa Cubs games on Hope AM940 and stream them for free on the Bally Live App. For more information and tickets, visit www.iowacubs.com.
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