Storm Survive Late Scare, Score 11 Runs to Take Game One 11-7

LAKE ELSINORE, CA – After dropping 12 of its last 13, Lake Elsinore returned home to start its final regular season series of 2026 against Inland Empire. The Storm got off to a hot start and despite some shaky pitching in the final inning, Lake Elsinore walked away from game one against the 66ers with a 11-7 win.

The first two innings went scoreless but then the Storm started to tear the cover off the ball. In the bottom of the third, Dawson Willis led off the frame with a hit by pitch. The first baseman then stole second but that swiped bag didn’t matter as Qrey Lott nuked a two-run blast just a few pitches later. Elliot Lascelles followed with a single to left and Jose Verdugo bunted him into scoring position on a sacrifice. Then with one gone, Alex Conover singled on a groundball to center to score Lascelles and extend the lead to 3-0. Lake Elsinore wasn’t done. Two batters later, Jorge Quintana ripped a single to right and pushed another run across. After a Nu’u Contrades walk, Jesmaylin Arias doubled in both runners and capped off the inning by extending the Storm lead to 6-0 after the third.

The fourth inning was more of the same. Lott led off with a double and Lascelles did the same shortly after to bring in the Storm’s seventh run. Three batters later, Ty Harvey blasted his third homer of the year to left and gave Lake Elsinore a 9-0 lead.

Inland Empire got one back in each of the fifth and sixth innings. First, Ryan Wynn came in to score after Ace Reese reached on a fielding error by Willis. Then in the sixth, Wynn slapped a single to center to bring in Estevan Moreno to touch home and cut the deficit to seven. Lake Elsinore responded quickly in the home-half thanks to Jose Verdugo who brought in a run while he grounded into a double-play. It didn’t go down as an RBI, but the 10th run counted all the same.

The two teams traded runs in the eighth, first when Mason Eckelmen hit his first professional home run in the top-half to make it a 10-3 game. The Storm got it back when Lascelles knocked in his second run on his fourth hit of the night, his first four-hit game in professional baseball. Entering the ninth it was 11-4 Lake Elsinore….. And then things got a little sketchy.

After a quick popout to begin the final frame, IE ripped off five straight hits to plate four runs and cut the Storm lead in half. But with two gone and the potential tying run on deck, Wynn struck out swinging and ended the night with the first home win for the Storm in 23 days.

Lake Elsinore returns to action on Wednesday to face Inland Empire for game two 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 11-8. The Storm will send LHP Zimo Qin (2-2, 3.91) to the mound to face off against 66ers RHP Dylan Wilson (3-4, 4.71). 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.