LAKE ELSINORE, CA - The Storm jogged out onto the field at Diamond Stadium Friday night with one thing in mind: Avenge the last two losses to Visalia that came in extremely disappointing fashion. After falling 13-1 on Wednesday and blowing a six-run lead the day prior, Lake Elsinore responded with a commanding 5-1 win over the Rawhide.
After two scoreless innings, it was Visalia to strike first in the third. Tytus Cissell doubled to lead off the frame and advanced after an error on Storm starter Kruz Schoolcraft on a pickoff attempt. With a runner on third, Abdias De La Cruz pulled a line drive to left and got Rawhide on the board early.
Lake Elsinore responded just a half-inning later. The Storm relied on Bradley Frye to continue his hot streak after two extra-base hits last night and knocked a one-out single to right. The third baseman moved into scoring position shortly after with his 22nd stolen base of the year. Behind him, Jorge Quintana would walk and Yoiber Ocopio sharply singled to right and loaded the base for Yimy Tovar. The first baseman did his job and skied a flyball to center to help score Frye on the sacrifice fly and knot the game back up at one.
The fourth inning would also go scoreless for each side, and then the Storm never looked back starting in the fifth inning. Lake Elsinore had the first five batters all reach safely including a leadoff single from Frye, a double by Quintana to put runners on second and third, and then an RBI single by Ocopio to put the Storm in front. That prompted a pitching change for Visalia with right-handed starter Chung-Hsiang Huang exiting after four-plus innings and replaced by Wilkin Parades. Tovar would then walk and load the bases for Jose Verdugo. With the count 1-1, Verdugo took ball-two down and away and skipped to the backstop on a wild pitch and allowed Quintana to sprint home and extend the lead to 3-1 Lake Elsinore. The damage wasn’t done there though. Verdugo placed a single over to third that bounced in and out of the glove of Enyervert Perez and skipped into left to score another two runs. It was 5-1 Storm after five and that ended the scoring.
Storm pitching was fantastic tonight beginning with left-handed starter Kruz Schoolcraft. The southpaw went 4.1IP and allowed just one run and struck out four. Behind him, Jordan Valenzuela and Yoesmerli Beltre provided crucial relief appearances and both went over two innings out of the bullpen. The Storm left Diamond Stadium tonight with a huge win and tied the six-game series back up at two games apiece.
Lake Elsinore returns to action on Saturday to face Visalia for game five of the six-game set from Diamond Stadium. This is the third series of the year between the Storm and the Rawhide with Lake Elsinore leading 10-5. The Storm will send RHP Tyler Schmitt (6-5, 4.80) to the mound to face off against Rawhide RHP Anderson Cardenas (4-4, 2.72). First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 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.