LAKE ELSINORE, CA — At least one run came across in every single inning, headlined by three in the third and the sixth and six in the eighth to power the Storm (7-9) to a 17-7 win over the Rawhide (5-11).
Lake Elsinore got on the board early thanks to an RBI double from Truitt Madonna. While he nearly missed a home run, the catcher was still satisfied with extra bases in the first, so much so that he did it four more times. Madonna finished 4/5 with three doubles, a triple, and three runs batted in. While the Storm went ahead to start, the Rawhide responded quickly. Enyervert Perez ripped a single up the middle to knot the score at 1-1. In the third, things got fun. Ryan Wideman led off the inning with an Inside-The-Park Home Run on a hit laced into center field. The ball initially looked like it had wedged underneath the wall, and Wideman would be stuck at second with a Ground Rule Double, but he never stopped running, and after base umpire Jarvis Warner went out to check the status of the ball, he ruled it wasn’t stuck enough to warrant a hold up.
Wideman brought the Storm crowd to their feet, and it didn’t stop there. Immediately after, Bradley Frye singles and Madonna hits his triple to score the third baseman from first. Jose Verdugo came up right after and laid down a sacrifice bunt for a squeeze play that wound up leaving him safe at first and Madonna safe at the plate. Just like that, Lake Elsinore took a 4-1 advantage.
The Hide and the Storm traded blows in the fourth and the fifth, splitting each inning 1-1 and 2-2, respectively. In the sixth, Lake Elsinore plated three more thanks to another Madonna double and a pair of singles from tonight’s middle infield of Jose Verdugo and Jorge Quintana. Wideman found his way back up in the seventh and scored another on a groundout and extended the advantage to 11-4.
The eighth gave Visalia some hope, but not for very long. The Rawhide scored two thanks to Daiche Moriki walking in a run and an unconventional double play. A routine ground ball to Quintana stayed that way after a shovel to Verdugo at second. His throw pulled Kerrington Cross off first base which left JD Dix safe, but Cross immediately got up and fired a strike to Madonna at home to cut down another run. In the home half, the Storm did all their damage with two outs. Madonna ripped his final hit of the night down the left field line for an automatic double, advanced to third on a flyout, and stole home after a throw to first on a dropped third strike with Verdugo batting. Three straight walks followed and brought Conner Westenburg up to bat. With him at the plate, Rawhide pitcher Collin Rothermel balked in a run and immediately gave up a two-run single. The cherry on top? Ryan Wideman’s second home run of the night, this one, unlike the first, cleared the centerfield wall with ease. Visalia scored one more in the ninth to finish game one of the six-game set at 17-7. It’s the second game this season the Storm have scored over 15 runs.
Pitching for Lake Elsinore early was fantastic. Winter Chourio delivered another excellent start of four innings, just two runs allowed, and six strikeouts. Joseph Herrera was the first in relief and gets credited with his second win of the season.
The Storm return to action on Wednesday as they face Visalia for the second game of the series from Diamond Stadium. 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.