Storm Chasers sweep doubleheader in Des Moines, move above .500

Omaha turned a doubleheader in Des Moines into a clear statement about depth and resilience, beating Iowa 6-4 in nine innings and 6-1 in seven to move above .500 for the first time in 2026. With both clubs entering the day at 7-6, the sweep gave the Storm Chasers a road split that mattered far more than a routine pair of wins, especially in a six-game set at Principal Park.

The opener asked Omaha to win in more than one way, and it answered. John Rave reached base five times, helping the Storm Chasers build pressure from the start, and Omaha scored three runs in the second inning before the game tightened into an extra-inning test. Aaron Sanchez delivered a season-high 4.2 innings, allowing two runs with five strikeouts, giving the bullpen room to finish the job. Eric Cerantola struck out the side in the seventh and came back for a second scoreless inning in the eighth, and Andrew Pérez earned his first save of the season after Omaha pushed across the deciding runs on a two-run single in the ninth.

Game 2 showed a different side of the same roster. Ben Sears allowed one run in 3.0 innings, Beck Way followed with 3.0 scoreless innings and four strikeouts, and Chazz Martinez closed out the sweep. Omaha’s offense spread the damage around, with five different RBI hitters: Connor Kaiser, Rave, Kameron Misner, Nick Loftin and Kevin Newman. That kind of distribution matters in Triple-A, where lineups can change quickly and clubs need more than one bat to carry a night.

Rave was the day’s most obvious separator. The outfielder was named International League Player of the Week for April 6-12 after going 9-for-19 against Iowa with three doubles, two home runs, 18 total bases and nine RBIs in the five-game series. Through 13 games, he was hitting .319 with a .443 on-base percentage and a .996 OPS, production that keeps pushing him toward organizational attention every time Omaha needs a big swing or a long at-bat. He has now played 285 games for Omaha since reaching Triple-A in 2022, and his steady rise has become one of the clearest indicators of how much this roster can lean on experienced hands.

The sweep also fit the shape of Omaha’s early-season roster under first-year manager Patrick Osborn, with 27 active players, 10 on Kansas City’s 40-man roster and 13 newcomers to the organization. That blend of familiar names and new pieces helped the Storm Chasers absorb a 12-4 loss to Iowa earlier in the series and answer with a two-game punch that changed the mood of the trip.