Rozek's Six Shutout Innings Not Enough In 3-2, 10 Inning Loss To Storm Chasers

PAPILLION, NE (September 4, 2026) - For the first time in more than two years the St. Paul Saints had a starter go 6.0 shutout innings. Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t extend a 1-0 lead and wound up falling 3-2 in 10 innings to the Omaha Storm Chasers on Friday night at Werner Park.

Kala’i Rosario got the Saints on the board with an opposite field solo home run to right, his eighth of the season, making it 1-0. It was Rosario’s sixth home run in his last 10 games.

Aaron Rozek took it from there and was magnificent. He kept the Storm Chasers off balance and even when he got into trouble, he made the pitches to get out of it. After walking the leadoff batter in the fifth, followed by a single that put runners at the corners, Rozek got a huge double play. Gavin Cross hit a ground ball to first baseman Jake Rucker. He looked Brandon Drury back at third, turned around to touch the bag and Drury broke for the plate. Rucker fired home to get Drury for the big double play. Rozek went 6.0 shutout innings allowing four hits while walking three and striking out three. He became the first Saints pitcher since Louie Varland on August 3, 2024 to throw 6.0 shutout innings.

Once Rozek left the game the Storm Chasers grabbed the lead in the bottom of the seventh when Jorge Alfaro led off by being hit by a pitch. Drury followed with a single to left putting runners at first and second. Alejo Lopez failed to move the runners over when he dropped down a bunt where catcher Noah Cardenas threw out the lead run Alfaro for the first out. With two outs, however, Peyton Wilson’s two run double to right-center put the Storm Chasers up 2-1.

The Saints capitalized on a huge error in the eighth to tie the game. With one out Matt Wallner hit a fly ball to right that was dropped by Jacob Berry as Wallner went to second. After a pitching change, a Hendry Mendez ground out sent Wallner to third. That was followed by an RBI single to center by Cody Morissette knotting the game at two.

In the 10^th, the Saints couldn’t score the placed runner and that proved costly because the Storm Chasers plated theirs in the bottom of the inning. After intentionally walking Carson Roccaforte, Luca Tresh dropped down a sacrifice bunt putting runners at second and third. Berry then hit a line drive to left-center that Emmanuel Rodriguez made a sliding catch on, but his throw home wasn’t in time as the Storm Chasers won it on a walk-off sacrifice fly.

The same two teams meet in game five of a six-game series on Saturday night at Werner Park at 6:05 p.m. The Saints send RHP Jack Anderson (5-4, 4.29) to the mound against Storm Chasers RHP Vince Velasquez (2-2, 7.04). The game can he heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM presented by Northland Ford Dealers.