IL Omaha Storm Chasers

Mayers Earns First Win as Chasers Salvage Series with Gwinnett

Published on April 23, 2023 under International League (IL)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


PAPILLION, NEB. - After falling behind early in first, the Omaha Storm Chasers quickly stormed back to provide run support for starting pitcher Mike Mayers (1-1) and beat the Gwinnett Stripers 5-3 Sunday afternoon the salvage the series and avoid a sweep.

Mayers allowed three runs on four hits in the top of the first inning, but settled into a groove in the second, retiring 13 of his final 17 batters, leading to his first win of the season in his second start of the week.

The three runs Mayers surrendered in the first mean 10 of 18 runs he's allowed this year have come in the first inning, this was his third of five starts this year where he allowed first-inning runs, then shut down the offense across the rest of his outing.

The Storm Chasers opened each of the first four innings with a baserunner and began to chip away at Gwinnett in the second, as CJ Alexander opened the inning with a single, then scored on an Angelo Castellano RBI single.

Omaha quickly tied the game in the bottom of the third, as five straight hits opened the frame, with an RBI double from Maikel Garcia that scored Dairon Blanco, and an RBI single from Tyler Gentry that plated Garcia.

In the fourth, Tucker Bradley walked to open the inning, advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole his first of two bases in the game, then scored moments later on another RBI single from Castellano that gave Omaha a 4-3 lead, which they held onto the rest of the afternoon.

After Mayers settled into his groove on the mound, the Storm Chasers bullpen backed him up, as Jackson Kowar pitched a scoreless sixth, Evan Sisk fired a scoreless seventh and Collin Snider produced a 1-2-3 eighth inning, before Nick Wittgren came on in the ninth. Wittgren retired all three batters he faced to earn his second save of the season, combining with Snider and Sisk to retire the final seven Stripers hitters of the evening.

Omaha added a run of insurance in the bottom of the eighth, as Jakson Reetz doubled home Nick Pratto, a hit that gave all nine Storm Chasers in the lineup a base hit in the game. Blanco, Nick Loftin and Castellano each had two hits, while Blanco stole three bases, Bradley stole two and Alexander stole one for a season-high six steals as a team.

Back in the win column, Omaha travels to Nashville next week to begin a six-game series on the road with the Sounds, facing the club for the first time since 2019 when the two played in the Pacific Coast League's American Conference's Northern Division together.

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International League Stories from April 23, 2023


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