LAKE ELSINORE, CA – After starting to build some momentum over the last two games, Lake Elsinore punted it away in a 11-6 loss to Stockton in game two of six from Diamond Stadium.
It didn’t seem that way at first, though. Lake Elsinore struck early and began to pile on runs after Stockton’s starter Jackson Phipps couldn’t find the strike zone. The southpaw walked the first five batters he faced which brought in two Storm runs. Then, Jorge Quintana grounded into a fielder’s choice to score the third run, and Lake Elsinore executed a double steal to score the fourth with Bradley Frye crossing home plate. The Storm struck early and built a quick 4-0 lead.
Stockton responded by cutting the lead in half in the third. Daniel Bucciero ripped a run-scoring single and Bobby Blandford skied a sacrifice fly into center to make it just a two run game. But Lake Elsinore would get its first hit later in the inning on a solo-home run from Dawson Willis. It was the first baseman's third long-ball of the season for the Storm. LE led 5-2 after three.
But the Storm lead wouldn’t last much longer. Lake Elsinore starter Carlos Medina exited after three innings and was replaced by right-hander Brandon Langley. In similar fashion to what benefited the Storm in the first inning, Langley walked the first four batters he faced. The lead was cut to two with the bases loaded. Langley then forced a double play which scored another run but gave the Storm a chance to get to the bottom of the fourth with the lead. Langley would exit after surrendering another walk, and the second pitch that his replacement Rordy Mejia threw to Blandford went 379 feet to right field to give the Ports a 7-5 lead. Just like that, the game was flipped on its head. Lake Elsinore would limit the damage and get one back in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a leadoff triple from Dylan Grego and a RBI-groundout from Conner Westenburg.
The Storm’s scoring was done at that point, but the Ports still had some more offense left in their chamber. Stockton added two more in the sixth on an RBI-double from Blandford and one-run single thanks to Breyson Guedez. Stockton’s left fielder wouldn’t stop there with an RBI-double in the eighth. And then to put the cherry on top, Bucciero left his mark on the game with a solo-home run that got out of the park in a hurry with a 109 MPH exit velocity. The scoring ended at 11-6 and the Storm dropped their first game of the series to the Ports.
Lake Elsinore returns to action on Thursday to face Stockton for game three of the six-game set from Diamond Stadium. This is the second series of the year between the Storm and the Ports with Stockton winning the first series 4-2. The Storm will turn to RHP Lan-Hong Su (0-1, 13.50 ERA) to face Grizzlies RHP Shotaro Morii (0-3, 16.76 ERA). 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.