MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Harrison Bader hit a walk-off single past a drawn-in infield in the bottom of the 10th inning to shoot the first-place Memphis Redbirds past the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 3-2, Wednesday night at AutoZone Park.
With the win, Memphis improves to 77-40, a season-high 37 games over .500, and has secured a 26th-straight series win or tie dating back to losing three-of-four games at Colorado Springs from April 18-21. The Redbirds are also now 9-0 in extra-inning games this year.
Alex Mejia was 4-for-5 with a double, and Breyvic Valera, Rangel Ravelo, and Bader all had two hits in the ballgame.
After John Gant worked through 6.0 innings on the mound, allowing two runs and striking out seven, Mike Mayers and Mike Montgomery combined for 4.0 one-hit innings while striking out five to finish the game. Memphis hurlers retired 14 of the final 15 Storm Chasers in the ballgame.
Memphis led 2-1 after an inning before Omaha tied it in the fifth, and the game remained knotted at 2 until the decisive 10th frame. Montgomery issued a one-out walk in the top of the 10th but got a flyout and a groundout after a stolen base to keep the go-ahead run on second.
In the bottom of the 10th, Ravelo and Nick Martini walked, and Adolis Garcia came on to pinch run for Ravelo. After a strikeout, Mejia hit a base knock to load the bases with one out.
Bader then stepped to the dish and stroked the game-winning single through the left side of the infield, scoring Garcia, to give the Redbirds the win.
The Redbirds and the Storm Chasers conclude their five-day, four game series tomorrow night at 7:05, before Memphis starts home-and-home four-game series with the Nashville Sounds (Athletics).
