LAKE ELSINORE, CA – After pitching helped lead the Storm to a 2-0 win last night, Lake Elsinore got help from its bats en route to a 11-6 win over Inland Empire to cap off the six game series with five wins.
The Storm started the offense early. In the first, Ryan Wideman reached on an error to lead off the game. After Kerrington Cross singled him to third, Jose Verdugo dropped a sacrifice bunt down the first base line. Wideman came in to score and the Storm took a quick 1-0 lead.
The advantage only multiplied in the second. With one out, Qrey Lott drilled a solo-home run to right to double the Storm lead. After a Dylan Grego single, Wideman smashed a double to right to plate Grego. One batter later, Cross hit Lake Elsinore’s second home run of the inning with a two-run shot to right. It wouldn’t end there though for the Storm. After Verdugo reached on an error from 66er third baseman Brady O’Brien, Bradley Frye ripped a single up the middle to plate him from second. The inning ended with Lake Elsinore holding a comfortable 6-0 lead.
The third inning was more of the same. Grego and Conner Westenburg both reached on singles to put runners on the corners. Then, Westenburg took off for second and slid in safely while Grego stole home on the double steal. That made it 7-0 Storm. Wideman singled to put runners back on the corners and history repeated itself. Wideman stole second, Westenburg stole home and Lake Elsinore plated another. Verdugo followed up two batters later with a double down the left field line to score Wideman, and Yoiber Ocopio drilled a single to center to let Verdugo touch home plate and score the 10th run of the day for LE. The Storm offense was firing on all cylinders.
Inland Empire stopped the shutout in the fourth on an RBI double from Connor Dykstra and scored two more in the fifth on a two-run single from Aiden Taurek. The Storm answered with another run in the seventh thanks to Wideman again with his second double and third hit of the game. It was 11-3 heading into the ninth.
The 66ers doubled their run total thanks to a solo shot from Ryan Picollo and a two run homer from George Feliz to end the scoring. The Storm wound up taking 5/6 in the homestand against Inland Empire to maintain first place in the South Divison.
Lake Elsinore returns to action on Tuesday to face Fresno for game one of the six-game set. This is the first series of the year between the Storm and the Grizzlies. First pitch is scheduled for 6:50 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.