Owings, Bissonette and Williams smack home runs in 11-4 triumph
By Cheyne Reiter
PAPILLION, Neb. – Josh Bissonette cranked his first career Triple-A home run to cap a six-run fifth inning, and Chris Owings and Alika Williams each hit solo home runs to carry the Indianapolis Indians to an 11-4 win and series victory over the Omaha Storm Chasers on Sunday night at Werner Park.
Locked in a 3-3 tie through four innings, the Indians (42-47, 9-6) erupted for six runs in the fifth inning on five hits and three walks. Miguel Andújar opened the frame with a single to extend his hitting streak to 14 games and later scored on a bases-loaded single by Grant Koch that made it 4-3. Indianapolis extended its lead thanks to a two-run single off the bat of Vinny Capra and three-run shot by Bissonette, just the second home run of his four-year professional career and first since July 27, 2021, with Double-A Altoona.
Williams homered for a second consecutive night in Indy’s next turn at the plate, the sixth long ball in his last 17 games played. The home run was also his second hit of the game, giving him nine multi-hit performances in his last 14 contests.
Capra, who doubled and scored on an Andújar single in the seventh for Indy’s final run, also singled in the second, laced an RBI double in the fourth and walked in the ninth to reach base safely in all five of his plate appearances. He finished 4-for-4 for the second time this season.
Indianapolis jumped in front in the first inning on a two-out double by Ryan Vilade that plated Owings, who started the game with a walk. Owings doubled the advantage in the third inning with a homer to right, and Capra’s two-bagger in the fourth brought home Williams to give Indy a 3-0 lead.
The Storm Chasers (42-44, 4-10) – already with six home runs through the first two games of the series – played long ball in their half of the fourth to level the score. With two runners on and two outs, Adeiny Hechavarría launched a 3-1 pitch over the wall in right-center for his third home run, but Indianapolis put the game away in the next half inning.
Nate Eaton homered off Kyle Nicolas in the bottom of the sixth inning, giving both teams a total of eight home runs in the three-game set.
Jared Jones (W, 2-1) tossed 5.0 innings and yielded three earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Brad Keller (L, 0-3) was charged with six earned runs and recorded just one out in the top of the fifth inning.
Every batter in Indy’s lineup recorded at least one hit. Andújar joined Williams with a two-hit performance to raise his International League-leading batting average to .365.
The Indians continue their nine-game road trip on Tuesday with the series opener of a six-game set at Iowa at 7:38 PM ET. RHP Luis Ortiz (2-2, 2.94) is tabbed as Indy’s probable starting pitcher.
Originally posted on milb.com