Story line: Tug Hulett's one-out homer in the first put Omaha up 1-0, but the Cubs tied it in the third and then used a double and two singles in the fourth to take the lead 3-1. Down 4-1 with two outs in the eighth, the Royals loaded the bases on three singles, but Scott Thorman flew out to left to end the inning. Iowa tacked on one more in the bottom half of the inning, and Omaha went down in order in the ninth for the 5-1 loss.
Star of the game: Iowa's Casey Fossum (2-2) went seven innings and picked up his second win of the year, giving up five hits and striking out five. Other than Hulett's homer, he never allowed a runner past second base, giving Iowa a split in the four-game series.
Mound matters: Omaha's Brandon Duckworth (2-5) threw 83 pitches in six innings and gave up four runs while being charged with the loss, running his ERA to 5.67.
Noteworthy: Omaha hasn't won a series since taking 3 of 4 from Albuquerque June 27 through 30.
Up next: The Royals return to Rosenblatt for a four-game series against Round Rock, starting tonight at 7:05. Omaha lefty Lenny DiNardo (5-4, 3.63 ERA) will start against right-hander Bud Norris (4-8, 2.61)
• Box Score
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