Four Homers Leads to Chasers Second Straight Win Against Toledo with 10-9 Victory

Omaha’s offense homers 9 times in first two games of this week’s series

Tyler Gentry homered, walked and singled in Omaha's 10-9 win over Toledo Wednesday afternoon. (Mark Kuhlmann)

By Nishant Brahme

July 10, 2024

PAPILLION, NEB – The Omaha Storm Chasers won a second straight game against the Toledo Mud Hens, coming out ahead 10-9 in another nail-biter win Wednesday at Werner Park. After Omaha starter Andrew Hoffmann worked a 1-2-3 first inning, then Mud Hens dealt the first run of the game in

PAPILLION, NEB – The Omaha Storm Chasers won a second straight game against the Toledo Mud Hens, coming out ahead 10-9 in another nail-biter win Wednesday at Werner Park.

After Omaha starter Andrew Hoffmann worked a 1-2-3 first inning, then Mud Hens dealt the first run of the game in the top of the second as Bligh Madris hit a solo home run to right center field for a 1-0 Toledo lead.

Omaha answered Toledo’s run by scoring three in the bottom half of the second as Tyler Gentry crushed his seventh homer of the season to left field, then, Brian O’Keefe singled to set up Ryan Fitzgerald for a two-run homer to right field, his ninth of the year to five Omaha a 3-1 lead.

In the top of the third inning, the Mud Hens answered back with a three-run homer off the bat of Spencer Torkelson for 4-3 Toledo lead.

The Chasers trailed for an inning and a half, but jumped back ahead in the bottom of the fourth and led the rest of the way. Gentry and O’Keefe drew back-to-back walks in the fourth and set up Nate Eaton to hit a three-run homer to left field, his 11th of the season, for the game’s fourth lead change and a Omaha lead of 6-4.

Omaha dealt more damage in the fifth with two more runs as. O’Keefe singled two runs in with the bases loaded, then Gentry scored from third on a throwing error the next at-bat as the Chasers’ lead grew the lead to 9-4.

Hoffmann earned his second win of the season, striking out three over 5.0 innings of four-run ball. Left-hander Austin Cox entered the game in the top of the sixth inning and worked a scoreless frame to keep Omaha up by five.

Drew Waters added a run to the board in the bottom of the sixth, as the outfielder crushed his ninth homer of the season to center field as a solo shot and increased the lead to 10-4 in favor of Omaha.

Behind Hoffmann and Cox, it took a combination of four Storm Chasers pitchers to record the final nine outs of the game. Toledo inched closer in the top of the seventh, plating two runs on a trio of hits and two walks off Will Klein, cutting Omaha’s lead to 10-6. plated two runs off of a base hit to right field and cut the Chaser lead to 10-6. Tyler Duffey inherited the bases loaded and stranded them to get out of the inning and maintain a four-run lead. Klein and retired the last batter to get out of the inning.

Duffey worked a scoreless eighth inning and Carlos Hernández entered the game in the ninth to get the final three outs. Hernández got into trouble early as a double and walk led to a sacrifice fly, with Waters robbing a possible home run, but the play moving the score to 10-7. A two-run homer knocked Hernández out of the game and brought the score to 10-9.

Evan Sisk took over with a one-run lead and one out in the inning struck out the next two hitters to earn his third save of the year and close out the one-run one, Omaha’s second straight win.

The Storm Chasers continue this week’s series against the Toledo Mud Hens as first pitch starts at 7:05 p.m. CT on Thursday and right-handed pitcher Jonathan Bowlan is slated to start for Omaha.