PAPILLION, NEB. – The Omaha Storm Chasers won a second straight against the Toledo Mud Hens and set the modern franchise win record with a 4-2 victory Thursday at Werner Park, the team’s 84th victory of the season.
84 wins marks the most in the Storm Chasers era, passing the 83 wins of the 2012 Chasers. It now ranks as the third-most all time in a single season for Omaha, trailing the 85-win 1969 Omaha Royals and 86-win 1990 Omaha Royals.
The Mud Hens took the lead on the very first batter of the game as Ryan Vilade led off the night with a solo home run for a 1-0 lead off major league rehabber Michael Lorenzen.
The Storm Chasers tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning as Nick Pratto led off the inning with a walk, then stole second and scored on a two-out single from Austin Nola.
Lorenzen, working his way back from a left hamstring strain, allowed just the one run over 3.1 innings with four strikeouts. Behind Lorenzen, Anthony Simonelli tossed 1.2 scoreless innings with a strikeout before Noah Murdock took the reins in the top of the sixth inning. Toledo scored on two singles against Murdock and took a 2-1 lead.
Omaha promptly tied the game for a second time in the bottom of the sixth inning as Nate Eaton reached base on an error and stole second, before coming around to score on an RBI single from, Nelson Velázquez to even the game at 2-2 after six.
Murdock allowed the one run with a pair of strikeouts over 1.2 innings and was replaced by Angel Zerpa with two outs in the seventh, with Zerpa recording the final out of the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Chasers took their first lead of the night as Cam Devanney reached base on a fielding error. After John Rave hit a sac bunt that advanced Devanney to second, Drew Waters drew the team’s fifth walk of the night which set up Velázquez to crush a double into left field, his second hit of the night, and score Devanney and Waters for a 4-2 lead.
In four games this week, Velázquez had gone 6-for-13 with five extra-base hits and Minor League-leading nine runs batted in.
Zerpa pitched 1.1 scoreless innings and struck out two batters in the process before Evan Sisk entered the mound for the top of the ninth and closed out the 4-2 win for Omaha with a 1-2-3 inning for his team-leading 14th save of the season.
The Storm Chasers continue this week’s series against the Mud Hens on Saturday, September 14 as first pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m. CT and right-handed pitcher Dinelson Lamet takes the mound for Omaha.
