LAKE ELSINORE, CA - In what wound up turning into the worst loss of the season for the Storm, Lake Elsinore continued its struggles against San Jose on both sides of the ball. The Storm allowed 18 hits and scored just two runs on their way to a 21-2 loss to the Giants.
San Jose got on the board early. Four runs came across in the first inning. The first two came in on bases-loaded walks to Jeremiah Jenkins and Fernando Gonzalez. Tanner Mally then grounded into a fielder’s choice to score the third, and Angel Guzman singled shortly after to cap off the inning’s scoring. In the second, the Giants scored one on a Lorenzo Meola single. After two, Lake Elsinore trailed 5-0.
Another four runs came across in the fourth, all via home runs. Broedy Poppell led off the frame with a solo-shot. Then with a runner on, Dario Reynoso launched his 13th tank of the year and Jenkins followed up with a homer on the very next pitch. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a 9-0 Giants lead.
The seventh inning was more of the same. Oliver Tejada scored one on a sacrifice fly to put San Jose at double digits. A wild pitch brought in another runner and then Reynoso slapped his third extra-base hit of the game to center and scored another two runs. It was a complete laugher at this point, with Lake Elsinore down 13-0.
The Storm got two back in the eighth thanks to a Chris McHugh sac-fly and Jorge Quintana single….. And then the ninth inning happened. Knowing the game was over, Lake Elsinore put position player Jake Bold on the mound to get the final three outs and things didn’t go according to plan. San Jose added on eight more runs and forced Bold out of the game after allowing the first seven and only getting two outs. Augie Lopez would step up and finish the inning and Lake Elsinore would go down quietly in the bottom of the ninth to end the game. It was the most runs the Storm have allowed this season and goes down as the worst loss by run differential of the year, surpassing the 16-0 loss in the second game of the season.
Lake Elsinore returns to action on Saturday to face San Jose for game five of the six-game set from Diamond Stadium. This is the second series of the year between the Storm and the Giants with San Jose leading Lake Elsinore 7-3. The Storm will send RHP Tyler Schmitt (8-6, 4.76) to the mound to face off against Giants LHP Leandro Rodriguez (1-2, 4.45). 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.