Chasers Fall to Indy 8-1 in Weekend Series Opener

PAPILLION, NEB. – The Omaha Storm Chasers dropped the first of a three-game series Friday at Werner Park, falling 8-1 to the Indianapolis Indians.

As the two teams returned from All-Star break, the Indians got on the board first in the top of the second inning with three straight baserunners opened the inning, capped with an RBI single for a 1-0 Indy lead. Omaha immediately answered back in the bottom of the second as Tyler Gentry crushed his 8th homer of the season and tied the game 1-1.

Indianapolis struck again in the top of the third inning with a fair of home runs, a two-run homer and a solo for a 4-1 lead over Omaha, a lead the Indians did not relinquish. The Chasers did not get on the board for the rest of the night and mustered five hits the rest of the night.

Starting pitcher Anthony Veneziano threw 5.0 innings and struck out five but was charged with four runs on seven hits in the losing effort.

Behind Veneziano, four Omaha pitchers each offered an inning, but the Indians doubled their run total in the back half of the game. Jonathan Bowlan pitched the top of the sixth inning and worked a scoreless frame, but Noah Murdock surrendered a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning. After getting the first two outs, Murdock allowed four straight to reach, with Seth Beer singling in two to extend the Indy lead to 6-1. Austin Cox followed Murdock and allowed a leadoff double in the eighth inning but retired the next three, with a pair of strikeouts to get out of the inning.

Will Klein entered the game for Omaha in the top of the ninth and surrendered two more runs, on a solo homer and RBI single, but struck out a pair to end the inning.

After Gentry’s homer, the Storm Chasers struggled to get much going at the plate, collecting, five singles and four walks with a hit batter, but stranding 10 runners on base in the process.

allowed two runs to extend the lead to 8-1 in favor of the Indians. Gentry collected two hits in the loss, while Nick Pratto and Ryan Fitzgerald drew two walks each.

The Storm Chasers continue this weekend’s series against the Indians Saturday, July 20 with a 6:05 p.m. CT first pitch on Saturday with Chandler Champlain slated to start for Omaha.