Storm Score 12 in Five Innings, Hold Off IE Comeback to Win 12-11

LAKE ELSINORE, CA – Last night, Lake Elsinore took the lead in the third and never looked back. Despite some shaky pitching in the back end of the bullpen, the Storm walked away with an 11-7 win to open the series against Inland Empire. Tonight was more of the same. LE grabbed a 2-1 lead in the first and held on the entire game, but IE ended the night with five unanswered runs that was just short of enough, and the Storm held on for a 12-11 win for its third in four outings.

The 66ers jumped out in front in the top of the first when Ace Reese blasted a solo-homer over the right-field wall to open the scoring. The Storm responded in the home-half when Elliot Lascelles reached on an error and Nu’u Contrades singled him over to third. With runners on the corners, Lake Elsinore elected to try the sneaky double-steal. IE catcher Mason Eckelmen took the bait and threw down to second unsuccessfully which let Lascelles jog in to tie the game. Contrades stole his second base of the inning moments later when Joe Tiroly worked a walk to give the Storm the exact same scenario. Lake Elsinore did the same exact thing. Tiroly attempted to steal second but was thrown out, meanwhile Contrades coasted into home and gave the Storm a 2-1 lead after the first inning.

LE added to its total in the second with three more runs. With runners on second and third with one gone, Contrades laced a double to center to plate both and extend the Storm lead to three. Tiroly then doubled one batter later and scored Contrades to cap off the inning and give Lake Elsinore a 5-1 advantage.

In the top of the third, Inland Empire got one back. The 66ers had two on and two out when Jake Brown singled to left to score Ryan Wynn and bring it back to just a three run game. That didn’t last long. Just a half-inning later, the Storm worked the bases loaded with no one out and put serious pressure on the Sixers to blow the game wide open. Truitt Madonna and Qrey Lott slapped back-to-back sacrifice flies to move the lead to 7-2. The inning wasn’t over though. Lascelles doubled down the right-field line and plated another run to extend the lead to six.

But the Sixers weren’t going down without a fight. IE loaded the bases on the first three batters and forced Zimo Qin out of the game after picking up a strikeout on the next hitter. The lefty went 3.1IP and allowed five runs, most of which came after he exited. Right-hander Rordy Mejia came out first in relief and allowed four runs to the next two batters. First, Hayden Yost doubled in a pair to make it 8-4. Then, Reese found the outfield grass once again to score the other two left on and just like that it was just a two-run game. The Storm answered with one in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-single by Chris McHugh and softened the blow, but the lead was cut in half from what it was entering the inning and the two squads went to the fifth with LE up 9-6.

Lake Elsinore pitched a scoreless fifth and then went right back to work in the bottom-half. With men on the corners and no one out, Lascelles came up clutch again with a one-run single. And then like clockwork, Tiroly did his job once more with a double down the left-field line to plate two more and cap off the Lake Elsinore scoring at 12 to give the Storm a 12-6 lead after five.

After a scoreless sixth from both sides, Inland Empire started to get the offense moving again while the pitching staff did its job as well. The Sixers plated three in the seventh after the Storm walked in a run and then allowed a two-run single to Yost to cut the lead in half. IE added another in the eighth when Nick Becker grounded out but brought in another runner from third and just like that it was a 12-10 game.

When the ninth inning came around, the 66ers tried one last time to tie or take the lead. Kelvin Alcantara came off the bench and worked a walk. Starlin Aguilar then struckout while Wynn grounded out and moved Alcantara into scoring position. Yost followed up with a walk and Reese knocked his fourth hit of the day to score one run and put runners on the corners with two outs in the ninth in a one-run game. Reese proceeded to steal second and put both men in scoring position. But Tyler Pitzer closed it out with a strikeout on Yorger Bautista to grab his first career save and help the Storm survive for a 12-11 win.

Lake Elsinore returns to action on Thursday to face Inland Empire for game three of the six-game set from Diamond Stadium. This is the final series of the year between the Storm and the 66ers with Lake Elsinore leading 12-8. The Storm will send RHP Lan-Hong Su (0-4, 5.23) to the mound to face off against 66ers LHP Jack Bowery (7-5, 3.88). First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. PT.

About the Lake Elsinore Storm

The Lake Elsinore Storm are the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres in the California League. For more information on the Storm, visit milb.com/lake-elsinore. For information about tickets to any of Lake Elsinore’s 66 home games, call (951) 245-4487 or email: info@stormbaseball.com.