By: Mike Rose
ROCHESTER, N.Y.– The Omaha Storm Chasers bounced back from last night's series-opening loss with a 7-3 victory over the Rochester Red Wings. The Storm Chasers used a three-run second and seventh to propel them to victory. Rochester meanwhile failed to muster any offense late being shut out from the fifth inning onward.
After a scoreless first the Storm Chasers jumped out in front in the second. Jermaine Palacios and Adeiny Hechavarria each plated a run with an RBI double before Tucker Bradley drove in a run with a base hit to make it 3-0.
The Red Wings threatened in the bottom half of the second but left the bases loaded after Jordy Barley lined out on a rocket to Palacios at third base. In the third, Rochester got to work chipping away at the margin.
Alex Call led off the inning with a walk and then swiped second base. He was able to advance on the play as the throw went into center field. Call would come in to score the first run of the day for Rochester on a sac fly from Jake Alu. The Red Wings tacked on another in the fourth on a sac fly from Luis Torrens that scored Travis Blankenhorn who put himself on third base advancing on a wild pitch after he doubled.
In the fifth, it became a brand new ball game with some offense supplied from an unexpected source. Barley, who made the jump last week from High A Wilmingham up to Rochester, led off the inning and roped his first AAA home run into left field to tie the game up.
"I'm feeling good, feeling a lot of confidence," Barley said. "Just going up there looking for one pitch and swinging at it."
Rochester was unable to take advantage of its new life in the game, however. The Omaha bullpen dominated the late stages of the game holding the Red Wings without a base runner until the ninth inning.
The Storm Chasers meanwhile, tacked on three runs in the seventh. With RP Joe La Sorsa being called up earlier in the day to Washington and RP Jose Ferrer pitching two innings yesterday Sean Doolittle became the only left-hander available for the Red Wings today. He was called upon to face lefty Clay Dungan in the seventh after two men had reached to start the inning against Amos Willingham.
The veteran Doolittle once again ran into trouble. He walked Dungan to load the bases before rifling a wild pitch in the following at-bat. Doolittle walked the next batter, Tyler Gentry to load the bases once again and Logan Porter finished off a nightmare appearance with a bloop two-run single.
"He's a veteran guy and has a feel for what's going on but it just wasn't his day," Manager Matthew LeCroy said in regards to Doolittle. "With La Sorsa going up and the spot coming up with facing lefties we have to figure out what he can do. It was a good opportunity and it didn't work out but that's baseball. We have to keep putting guys out there and see if they can make adjustments. The seventh was the critical part of the ball game and we just didn't get it done."
An insurance run on an RBI double from Brewer Hicklen in the eighth made it a four-run edge. The Red Wings made one last push in the ninth loading the bases with one out. However, Richie Martin struck out and Barley flew out to center to end the threat and the game.
The Red Wings (33-36) will be back in action tomorrow night, June 21, when they take on the Storm Chasers (35-33) for game three of the six-game series. It will be Jose Ureña (0-1, 6.62) on the mound for Rochester and Jonathan Bowlan (1-5, 7.71, AA Northwest Arkansas) slated to get the start for Omaha.