The Hens opened their six-game road series against the Indianapolis Indians on Tuesday night, falling 9-3 in the opener. Looking to build on a series split against Iowa, Toledo received solo home runs from Max Clark and Gage Workman, but a big middle inning from Indianapolis proved too much to overcome.
Max Clark had a busy start to the evening, spending time before first pitch signing autographs for family, friends, and fans from his hometown. Once the game began, he wasted no time making an impact, launching a 3-2 pitch over the center-field wall to give Toledo an early 1-0 lead.
Indianapolis answered right back in the bottom of the 1st. Termarr Johnson reached on a ground-ball single to right before stealing second to move into scoring position. Enmanuel Valdez followed with a single to center, sending Johnson to third, and Jhostynxon Garcia worked a walk to load the bases. Jesús Castillo then brought home the tying run on a force out to shortstop, evening the score at 1-1 after one inning.
The next runs didn't come until the bottom of the 5th. Jesús Castillo opened the inning with a single before Nick Cimillo drew a walk. Cameron Barstad, making his Triple-A debut, broke the game open with a three-run home run to center, extending the Indians' lead to 4-1.
Gage Workman answered in the top of the 6th, sneaking a solo home run just inside the right-field foul pole to trim the deficit to 4-2.
Any momentum Toledo gained was short-lived. Ronny Simon led off the bottom of the 6th with a double to center before advancing to third on Enmanuel Valdez's single. Jhostynxon Garcia then drove in Simon with a groundout to second, pushing Indianapolis back in front by three at 5-2.
The Indians continued to add on in the 7th. Cameron Barstad opened the inning with a double to right before Shawn Ross reached on a throwing error by third baseman Gage Workman while attempting to field a bunt. With runners on the corners, Ross stole second and P.J. Hilson drew a walk to load the bases. Termarr Johnson followed with a two-run single to left, scoring Barstad and Ross to make it 7-2. After Johnson stole second, Jhostynxon Garcia lined a two-run double into left, bringing home Hilson and Johnson to stretch the lead to 9-2.
The Hens put together one final rally in the top of the 9th. Gage Workman drew a leadoff walk before advancing to third on Brett Callahan's single to left. Tyler Gentry then drove him home with a groundout to third, accounting for Toledo's final run of the night.
Despite a pair of home runs and an early lead, Toledo couldn't slow down the Indians' offense in the middle innings. The Hens will look to even the series tomorrow night when the two clubs meet for Game Two. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.