PAPILLION, NEB. – A breathtaking pitchers’ duel came to an electrifying climax as CJ Alexander landed a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning, delivering a thrilling 1-0 victory for the Omaha Storm Chasers over the St. Paul Saints on Tuesday afternoon at Werner Park.
The series opener was marked by an extraordinary display of skill and talent from both sides. The day ended with the Storm Chasers celebrating their second shutout win of the season, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Anthony Veneziano, James McArthur, and Walter Pennington (4-0) on the mound.
The trio managed to limit the Saints to a mere two hits and two walks, while racking up an impressive total of 10 combined strikeouts. Veneziano faced the first four innings, against whom all four Saint’s baserunners came. Despite this, the left-handed pitcher ended the day with an admirable seven strikeouts, and together with McArthur and Pennington, retired the last 17 St. Paul batters of the afternoon and 23 of the last 24.
Offensively, the Storm Chasers didn’t have much luck, garnering just four baserunners across the first eight innings, comprised of two hits and two walks. Unfortunately, three of these runners were caught out on the bases.
CJ Alexander set things rolling for Omaha as he took first base on a walk in the second inning. His time on the bases, however, was cut short due to a double play. Subsequent innings saw Tucker Bradley and Angelo Castellano making it on base, only to be thrown out attempting to advance.
The ninth inning, however, turned the tides for Omaha. Bradley started with his second double of the game, although he was taken out at home in his attempt to secure the game-winning run following a single from Nick Loftin. The tension built as Loftin stood on second base, until Alexander came up to bat with two outs. Alexander delivered a stunning single to left field, scoring the sole run of the game and sealing the second walk-off of the year.
This nail-biting 1-0 victory marked Omaha’s first since July 4, 2019, against Nashville. The minimal two hits and four overall baserunners allowed by the Chasers’ pitching staff stands as their best defensive performance this season.
With this win, the Chasers are now tantalizingly close to a .500 season record. They’ll strive to balance their record on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. CT as right-hander Jonathan Bowlan takes the mound at Werner Park in the second game of this week’s series against the Saints.
