Porter launches first Triple-A home run to tie the score in the ninth

TOLEDO, Ohio. – For the third night in a row, the Omaha Storm Chasers (51-56) lost to the Toledo Mud Hens (56-51) in walk-off fashion. Toledo used a ninth inning homer to take game three 4-3 on Thursday from Fifth Third Field.

Right-hander Max Castillo made his first start in the Royals’ organization, needing just nine pitches to get through the first inning. In the second, the Mud Hens forced the issue, with M. Castillo allowing an RBI walk to Andre Lipcius and give Toledo a 1-0 lead.

Catcher Freddy Fermin had a double in the third inning, the first baserunner that Eduardo Rodriguez allowed in his first four innings of work.

Toledo scored in the bottom of the third, on a play at home that forced the ball out of Fermin’s mitt and pushed the deficit to a pair.

Rodriguez would come out after the fifth inning, allowing just one hit and one walk, both to Fermin.

Right-hander Daniel Mengden would be the first man out of the bullpen for the Storm Chasers, loading the bases in the sixth before stranding the bases loaded to keep the score at 2-0.

Omaha got a hit to start the seventh from left fielder Brewer Hicklen, but he would end up stranded. Hicklen has now reached base in 15 consecutive games, the fourth time that a Storm Chaser has hit the benchmark.

Ohio native, right-hander Zach Willeman struck out two Toledo batters in the bottom of the eighth to leave Omaha’s deficit at just three.

Right fielder Drew Waters walked to start the ninth, just the fourth base runner for Omaha. Hicklen walked to put runners at first and second with one out, the only time that Omaha has put multiple runners on base in the same inning. First baseman Logan Porter tied the score with one swing of the bat, sending his first Triple-A home run over the left field wall to make the score 3-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Spencer Torkelson hit a homer two pitches into the bottom of the ninth to cap the 4-3 Toledo win.

The Storm Chasers and Mud Hens will continue their series on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CDT with coverage starting at 5:45 p.m. on the Sarpy County Tourism Pregame Show on 1180 The Zone. Omaha looks to send left-hander Drew Parrish (2-6, 5.98) to the hill for the start while Toledo is scheduled to start Austin Bergner.

After the road trip, the Chasers return home for a six-game set against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre starting on August 23.

The full 2022 schedule can be found here and single-game tickets are now available here.

For more tickets and more information, please visit omahastormchasers.com, call the Werner Park Ticket office at (402) 738-5100, and follow the team on social media. You can follow the team on Twitter @omastormchasers, on Instagram @omahastormchasers, and “like” the team on Facebook at facebook.com/omahastormchasers.