Royce Lewis Homers on First Pitch Back with Saints, Omaha Pulls Away Late

One pitch was all that Royce Lewis needed to tally his first home run in his return to the St. Paul Saints, but the early spark wasn’t enough as St. Paul dropped an 11-3 decision to the Omaha Storm Chasers Thursday night at CHS Field.

Lewis wasted no time making an impact after being sent back to Triple-A earlier this week. After Kaelen Culpepper reached to begin the bottom of the first, Lewis jumped on the first pitch he saw and launched a two-run blast over the wall in left, briefly giving the Saints a 2-1 advantage.

The Storm Chasers slowly took control by consistently putting pressure on St. Paul pitching. Omaha’s lineup reached base to open six different innings and converted each opportunity into runs. RBI doubles from John Rave and Kameron Misner helped erase the Saints’ early lead before Gavin Cross delivered a go-ahead homer in the fifth inning to put Omaha in front for good.

St. Paul showed flashes offensively beyond Lewis’ first-inning blast. Hendry Mendez added a solo homer in the sixth inning, continuing his productive start at Triple-A, but the Saints struggled to string together rallies against Omaha pitching. Meanwhile, the Storm Chasers continued to add insurance late, highlighted by a two-run double from Abraham Toro in the ninth that capped the scoring.

Despite the lopsided final score, the night still offered a memorable moment for the home crowd as Lewis immediately reminded everyone why he remains one of the organization’s most talented hitters. His first swing back with St. Paul energized CHS Field and briefly gave the Saints momentum before Omaha’s relentless offense pulled away.