Melendez Homers Twice in Series Opening Loss to Toledo
July 8, 2025 - International League (IL)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release
PAPILLON, NEB. - Despite 4 home runs, the Omaha Storm Chasers fell 12-8 in their series opener against the Toledo Mud Hens Tuesday afternoon.
Left-hander Rich Hill started Tuesday afternoon's game for the Storm Chasers and Toledo took an early 7-0 advantage with three 2-run home runs in the first two innings and a walked-in run.
Hill threw scoreless 3rd and 4th frames, finishing his outing with 7 runs allowed on 10 hits over 4 innings, on a season-high 101 pitches. Brandon Johnson relieved Hill in the 5th, but the Mud Hens extended their lead to 9-0 on another 2-run home run.
After 4.0 innings of scoreless, no-hit baseball from Toledo, Carter Jensen put Omaha on the board to open the bottom of the 5th with a solo home run for a 9-1 score.
In the top of the 6th inning, Chazz Martinez followed Johnson to make his Triple-A debut. The lefty struck out 2, but allowed a run on a sacrifice fly, extending Toledo's lead to 10-1.
In the bottom of the 6th, Omaha added another run on an MJ Melendez solo home run that made the score 10-2 in favor of Toledo.
In the 7th inning, Omaha shrunk the deficit to 10-8 with a 6-run frame. Peyton Wilson opened the inning with the first home run of his Triple-A career, then Diego Castillo followed with a walk and Melendez added his second home run of the game, a 2-run homer that travelled 445 feet, the 2nd-furthest by a Storm Chaser this year. Cavan Biggio, Joey Wiemer, and Luca Tresh all drew walks, and a 2 RBI single from Jensen scored both Biggio and Wiemer. Harold Castro grounded into a fielder's choice that plated Tresh, totaling a 6-run frame on just 3 hits.
Michael Fulmer relieved Martinez in the 8th and Toledo stretched its lead to 12-8 on a passed ball and RBI groundout. In the 9th, Andrew Hoffmann followed Fulmer and worked a 1-2-3 inning with a pair of strikeouts; however, Omaha did not plate any more runs in the bottom half of the frame and the 12-8 score was finalized.
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday against the Toledo Mud Hens, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. CT at Werner Park. Right-hander Chandler Champlain is scheduled to pitch.
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