PAPILLION, Neb. – Daz Cameron and Isaac Paredes each smashed a two-run homer in the top of the second inning to lift the Toledo Mud Hens to a 5-3 victory over the Omaha Storm Chasers on Thursday at Werner Park.
The result gives the Mud Hens (61-44) a two-game lead over second-place Omaha (59-46) in the Midwest Division standings with three games remaining in this week’s series.
In all, Paredes finished 3-for-4 with a two-run shot, a double and a walk, while Cameron went 1-for-4 with a two-run blast of his own. Grayson Greiner reached base three times, going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run, Riley Greene ended the night 1-for-4 with a double and a run, and Aderlin Rodríguez was 1-for-4 with an RBI single.
Pedro Payano tallied his fourth Triple-A win of the season after recording a season-high eight strikeouts in five innings of work, allowing three hits and a half-dozen walks. From there, Ian Krol, Bryan Garcia and Will Vest combined to throw four scoreless innings out of the Hen Pen, with the latter picking up his second save of the year.
The Mud Hens opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first frame. After Greene whacked a double toward the gap in right-center, Spencer Torkelson and Paredes drew back-to-back walks to load the bases with one out. Two batters later, Rodríguez lined a base hit into left that allowed Greene to come home.
Omaha responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the same inning. Lucius Fox got the Storm Chasers on the board when he sliced a leadoff home run down the left-field line for his first career Triple-A long ball. Nick Pratto and Ryan McBroom picked up consecutive free passes later in the frame, before Erick Mejia pulled a single into right to drive in Pratto and give the hosts a 2-1 edge.
Toledo used a pair of two-run homers to reclaim the lead for good in the top of the second. Greiner reached on a one-out walk, and scored when Cameron lined a homer to left-center to stake the Mud Hens to a 3-2 advantage. Torkelson drew his second walk in as many innings later in the inning, trotting home when Paredes smashed his eighth home run of the campaign to make it a 5-2 contest.
The Storm Chasers pushed a run across in the home half of the fifth. Pratto drew his third walk of the night, stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored when M.J. Melendez singled into right to cut Toledo’s lead to 5-3, which held on to be the final tally.
What’s Next:
The Mud Hens resume their crucial seven-game series against the Storm Chasers on Friday at Werner Park. First pitch is set for 8:05 p.m. EDT.
Hens Notes:
• Prior to Thursday’s game, the Detroit Tigers assigned Christopher Proctor and Josh Lester to the Mud Hens from Double-A Erie.
• The Mud Hens are 8-7 against Omaha in the regular-season series.
• Aderlin Rodríguez is tied with Omaha’s Ryan McBroom for the league lead with 76 RBI.• Isaac Paredes notched his 14th multi-hit outing and third three-hit game of the season, while Grayson Greiner posted his fourth multi-hit effort of the year.
• With a one-out double in the top of the first inning, Riley Greene extended his hit streak to six consecutive games.