IL Omaha Storm Chasers

Chasers Score in First Five Innings for 9-4 Win Over Toledo

April 8, 2023 - International League (IL)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


PAPILLION, NEB. - The Omaha Storm Chasers scored runs in each of the first five innings of the game and claimed their first home win of the season by a 9-4 margin over Toledo.

While Toledo scored runs in the first two innings, Omaha had a response every time and provided starter Jonathan Heasley with the run support to pitch comfortably. The Chasers countered a first inning Mud Hens run with two-run innings in the first and second.

In the first, Tyler Gentry singled in Samad Taylor, then scored on a CJ Alexander double. Alexander's double registered at an exit velocity of 115.3 miles per hour, the second hardest-hit ball in the International League this season.

In the second, Taylor doubled home Angelo Castellano, then Maikel Garcia singled Taylor home putting the Storm Chasers ahead 4-2 at the time.

Armed with four runs of support, Heasley settled into a groove and kept Toledo off the board over his final four innings, ending the night with 6.0 innings of work and five strikeouts on 92 pitches, the longest outing for a Storm Chasers starting pitcher this season and first quality start for the staff. Working with a comfortable lead, he twice retired four straight batters, including 1-2-3 innings in the third and sixth.

After a perfect third top of the inning from Heasley, Logan Porter opened the bottom half with a home run to left field, his fourth in as many games played this season .

A single from Gentry, passed ball and sacrifice fly from Porter in the fourth added three more runs, then Castellano added an RBI double for good measure in the fifth for the ninth and final run of the game.

Nick Wittgren and Ryan Weiss each allowed a run of relief, in the seventh and ninth innings respectively, sandwiched around a 1-2-3 eighth inning from Brooks Kriske.

Eight of nine Storm Chasers in the lineup recorded a hit, while six players scored runs and six different players drove in runs.

The win was the 999th with Omaha in the career of manager Mike Jirschele, and the Storm Chasers head into Saturday's 2:05 p.m game against Toledo with a chance for "Jirsch" to win his 1000th game managing the Triple-A Omaha club. Lefty Drew Parrish will have the start for the Chasers.

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International League Stories from April 8, 2023


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