Chasers Turn First Triple Play Since ’92 But Lose on Walk-Off to RailRiders

MOOSIC, PENN. – Despite turning a triple play to escape trouble in the fifth inning, the Omaha Storm Chasers fell to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on a walk-off home run 8-6, Omaha’s third loss to the RailRiders this week and the second on a walk-off homer.

The Storm Chasers jumped out ahead early, scoring three runs on five hits in the top of the first inning, including an RBI double from Tyler Gentry and RBI singles from Nick Loftin and Brewer Hicklen.

The RailRiders brought the game within one in the bottom of the third, on a two-run homer off Omaha starter Austin Cox. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre loaded the bases against Cox in the bottom of the fifth with nobody out, bringing RailRiders catcher Ben Rortvedt to the plate. On a 1-1 pitch, Rortvedt bounced a ball to Omaha shortstop Angelo Castellano, who began the turn of what became an unconventional triple play that also scored a run.

Castellano threw the ball to second baseman Samad Taylor for one who, then Taylor went with the ball to the first baseman Alexander. Alexander fired it across the diamond to the third baseman Loftin for the second out, and Loftin went back to Alexander at first for the third and final out of the inning. All the meanwhile, Jamie Westbrook, who opened the inning with a walk, scored from third base to tie the game at 3-3. The Triple play was Omaha’s first since June 3, 1992 at Denver, when in the first inning, Jim Tatum of the Denver Zephyrs bounced into a 5-4-3 triple play, from Omaha’s Sean Berry to Stu Cole to Jeff Conine.

Omaha promptly jumped ahead in the top of the sixth, as Alexander connected on his sixth homer of the year, to tie with Logan Porter and Loftin for the team lead. The Chasers added two more in the top of the ninth on a two-run double from Taylor, his second hit of the day.

In total, eight Chasers hitters recorded at least one hit, including five multi-hit performances. Scoring on Taylor’s double in the ninth, designated hitter Dairon Blanco finished the day 3-for-3 with a walk, reaching in all four of his plate appearances and stole two bases in the process to give him 22 on the season, though he was also picked off earlier in the game.

Behind five innings from the starter Cox, Walter Pennington pitched two scoreless frames, then Jackson Kowar pitched a scoreless eighth. Kowar, however, walked his first two batters in the bottom of the ninth, prompting a move to Brooks Kriske to try and earn the save.

Kriske struggled as well, however, getting an out on a fielder’s choice but then three straight run-scoring hits, capped by a walk-off three-run homer from Rortvedt, ended the game.

Omaha will try and salvage a series split Sunday at 12:05 p.m. CT with left-hander Drew Parrish headed to the mound for the Chasers.