Cameron hits leadoff homer as Hens fall to Chasers

PAPILLION, Neb. – Daz Cameron opened the scoring with a leadoff home run for the Toledo Mud Hens on Saturday, but the Omaha Storm Chasers clubbed three solo shots en route to a 4-2 decision at Werner Park.

The result gives the Mud Hens and Storm Chasers identical 61-46 records atop the Midwest Division standings with one game remaining in this week’s series.

Riley Greene finished 2-for-4 with two singles and a run, in addition to making a terrific diving catch in right field during the bottom of the first inning. Cameron ended the night 1-for-4 with a solo homer, while Aderlin Rodríguez went 1-for-4 with an RBI single.

Nivaldo Rodríguez made his first start in a Toledo uniform and matched a season-high with 3.2 innings of work, conceding two earned runs on three hits while striking out a pair. Angel De Jesus was tagged with the loss after surrendering the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fourth, before Bryan Garcia and Ian Krol each hurled an inning out of the Hen Pen.

The Mud Hens needed all of three pitches to grab the lead, as Cameron smashed a solo home run to left for his second round-tripper in three days and fourth of the season.

Omaha pulled even with a run in the home half of the second. M.J. Melendez singled into left, advanced to second on a Kyle Isbel groundout and scored when Erick Mejia grounded a single through the right side to make it a 1-1 contest.

Toledo went back in front with a run in the top of the third. Greene ripped a single up the middle before Isaac Paredes drew his second walk of the night to put runners on first and second with one out. Rodríguez then grounded a base hit through the left side to drive in Greene and give the Mud Hens a 2-1 edge.

The Storm Chasers used a pair of homers to jump ahead in the bottom of the fourth frame. Ryan McBroom hit a solo blast to left to knot the score at two apiece, before Isbel added a solo shot of his own two batters later to lift the hosts to a 3-2 lead.

Omaha eventually added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when McBroom belted his second solo shot of the night for his league-best 27th home run of the campaign. He also broke a tie with Rodríguez for the Triple-A East lead with his 78th RBI in 98 appearances.

What’s Next:
The Mud Hens and Storm Chasers will conclude their seven-game series on Sunday at Werner Park. First pitch is set for 2:05 p.m. EDT

Hens Notes:
• Riley Greene posted his fourth multi-hit game at the Triple-A level.
• Daz Cameron registered Toledo’s first leadoff homer since Willi Castro did the same on July 18 versus Iowa.
• The Mud Hens are 45-20 when scoring first this season.
• The Mud Hens have held at least a share of first place in the Midwest Division since Aug. 21, when they were a half-game behind Omaha.