Toledo Bats Stay Hot in Series Opener Victory
July 8, 2025 - International League (IL)
Toledo Mud Hens News Release
Omaha, NE - The Toledo Mud Hens defeated the Omaha Storm Chasers in a Tuesday afternoon slugfest at Werner Park, coming away with a 12-8 victory.
Toledo sent righty Wilkel Hernandez to the mound to begin the series. He entered the day 2-4 with a 4.68 ERA. Omaha countered with veteran left-hander Rich Hill, who came in at 4-2 with a 4.94 ERA.
Toledo's offense exploded out of the gate in the Tuesday matinee, launching three, two-run home runs in the first two innings.
Jace Jung opened the scoring in the first with a two-run shot after Andy Ibáñez reached on a walk. Hernandez followed with a strong bottom half, retiring the side in order.
The second inning was even bigger. Brewer Hicklen led off with a single, and Eduardo Valencia, in his first career Triple-A at-bat, homered to center to give Toledo a 4-0 lead.
With two outs, Hao-Yu Lee doubled, and Ibáñez followed with another two-run blast to extend the lead to 6-0. After three straight singles by Justyn-Henry Malloy, Jung, and Ryan Kreidler loaded the bases, Hicklen drew a walk in his second at-bat of the inning, bringing in another run.
Things settled briefly in the third and fourth as Hill found a bit more rhythm. Meanwhile, Hernandez struck out the side in the third and allowed just one walk in the fourth.
The Mud Hens picked things right back up in the fifth. Valencia stayed hot with a leadoff single, and Tomás Nido followed with the team's fourth two-run homer of the game. A single by Ibáñez, a hit-by-pitch to Malloy, and a walk to Kreidler loaded the bases again, but Omaha escaped without further damage.
The Storm Chasers got on the board in the bottom half when Carter Jensen homered for their first hit of the game. Toledo quickly retired the next three to avoid a bigger inning.
In the sixth, Trei Cruz tripled for his first Triple-A hit and later scored on a sac fly by Nido, giving Toledo its tenth run of the day.
Hernandez wrapped up a strong outing after five innings, allowing just one hit and one run. His final line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR.
Tyler Owens took over in the sixth and gave up a leadoff homer. Though he didn't allow another hit, he walked three to load the bases before Toledo escaped again.
After Owens struggled, Beau Brieske entered and allowed a pair of home runs and three walks, prompting a mound visit and an eventual exit due to injury.
Matt Seelinger came in for relief and issued a walk to reload the bases. Jensen then hit a two-run single, followed by a forceout that brought in another run, making it a 10-8 ballgame.
Looking to rebound from a rough seventh, Toledo responded quickly. Hicklen walked and Cruz doubled to put runners in scoring position. A passed ball allowed another run to score, and Nido's groundout added one more to stretch the lead to 12-8.
Toledo's defense locked in from there, retiring the side in order in the eighth.
In the ninth, Ryan Miller came in to close. Despite giving up two base hits, he finished the job and sealed the 12-8 win.
Notables:
Wilkel Hernandez: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Eduardo Valencia: 2 R, 2 H, 2 RBI, 1 HR, .500 AVG
Andy Ibáñez: 2 R, 3 H, 2 RBI, 1 HR, .250 AVG
Jace Jung: 1 R, 3 H, 2 RBI, 1 HR
Tomás Nido: 1 R, 2 H, 4 RBI, 1 HR
Trei Cruz: 2 R, 2 H, .400 AVG
The Mud Hens are back in action tomorrow evening against the Storm Chasers in Omaha. First pitch is set for 8:05 p.m. EST.
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