PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Omaha baseball notched its third win of the season behind a 2-0 shutout victory over Chicago State on the second day of the Snowbird Classic.
Omaha improves to 3-2 overall and records it first shutout win of the season, while Chicago State drops to 0-5.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Superb pitching led the way for Omaha through nine combined innings of shutout ball from Joey Machado, Tanner Howe and Jacob Mohler. Machado earned his first win of the season (1-0) with 6.0 innings pitched, three strikeouts, five hits and no runs allowed. Howe tossed two shutout innings in the seventh and eighth, followed by Mohler who earned his second save of the year.
CSUs Dylan Cumming earned the loss (0-2) with seven strikeouts, one walk, two runs and six hits allowed. For the Mavericks behind the plate, the duo of Breyden Eckhout and Parker Smejkal went 2-for-4. Both recorded a double and a run. Smejkals double was also an RBI.
INSIDE THE INNINGS
The Mavericks got on the board in the top of the first after Eckhout launched a two-out double. On the ensuing at-bat, Smejkal followed with a double that brought home Eckhout and made it 1-0 Omaha. In the top of the fourth and fifth innings, Omaha had runners in scoring position but left them on base.
Omaha loaded the bases in the top of the fifth after Chris Esposito singled and advanced to second on a Jack Lombardi sacrifice bunt. From there, Harrison Denk was walked and Masen Prososki was hit by a pitch. The Cougars, however, were able to turn a double play and get out of the inning.
The Mavericks eventually secured their second run of the game in the top of the sixth after a Chicago State throwing error scored Smejkal. Defensively for the Mavericks, Howe checked in for Machado in the bottom of the seventh and recorded a pair of three-up, three-down innings. Mohler eventually entered in the ninth and forced three-straight ground outs from Chicago State for the save.
UP NEXT
Omaha plays tomorrow at Noon (CT) in a return matchup against the Indiana State Sycamores.
