Chasers Held to Two Hits To 4-1 loss to Mud Hens

PAPILLION, NEB. – After three nights in a row of overwhelming offense, the Omaha Storm Chasers’ bats fell silent on Saturday, limited to just two hits in a 4-1 loss to the Toledo Mud Hens.

Major League rehabber Nicky Lopez reached in three of his four trips to the plate, with a single in the fourth and walks in the sixth and eighth.

Omaha’s lone run of the game scored in the seventh, when Nick Loftin singled for the Chasers’ second and final hit of the day to open the inning, advanced to third on a wild pitch and throwing error, then scored on a Clay Dungan groundout.

As a team, Omaha drew two walks, including two by Lopez and two from Angelo Castellano, but went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on.

Starting pitcher Drew Parrish labored through 4.0 scoreless innings and while he only allowed one hit, surrendered five walks and threw just 34 of his 74 pitches for strikes.

Toledo promptly took a lead against reliever James McArthur behind Parrish, who allowed the game’s first run in the fifth, as the Mud Hens collected a pair of hits and a walk to jump ahead with two outs.

McArthur struggled in the sixth, allowing a hit and two hit batters to load the bases, then the tall right-hander walked in a run and was removed from the game. Walter Pennington allowed two of the three runners he inherited to score, but threw 2.2 scoreless innings otherwise, with four strikeouts and his last five in a row retired.

Jonah Dipoto threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning on just 10 pitches, but the Chasers could only put one runner on in the bottom of the ninth and fell for the second time this week, snapping the team’s three-game winning streak.

Right-hander Jonathan Heasley returns to the mound Sunday at 5:05 p.m. CT for the series finale as Omaha will try to win its first home series of the year.