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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Brett Hayes wasn’t with the Omaha Storm Chasers for last year’s postseason excitement, but he made up for it Tuesday night.

“A lot of guys when we made the playoffs said, ‘We made the playoffs because you missed them last year,’ ” Hayes said. “I try to do my part.”

His two-run shot over the left-field fence broke a tie with two outs in the seventh inning, giving the Storm Chasers a 4-2 victory against the Pawtucket Red Sox in the Triple-A national championship game at BB&T Ballpark.

Hayes returned from the big-league Kansas City Royals this summer and made the most of the postseason as the Storm Chasers repeated as national champions — only the third team to do that.

“Anytime you’re sent down from the big leagues, if you’re happy about it, you don’t belong up there,” Hayes said. “We just enjoy playing the game, and we played hard.”

Hayes, who was named the game’s most valuable player, doubled and scored in the fourth inning to give the Storm Chasers their first lead. He later hammered a homer for the second time in three games.