LAKE ELSINORE, CA – After an incredible come-from-behind win last night over the Rawhide, the Storm just didn’t have the same firepower today as Lake Elsinore fell to Visalia 13-1 in game two of six from Diamond Stadium.
There was scoring in every inning but the eighth. Visalia struck first in the first half-inning of action. With two runners on, Pedro Blanco smashed a three-run homer to take an early 3-0 lead. In the home half of the inning, Lake Elsinore got one across after Jorge Quintana nailed a two-out triple and came around to score on a wild pitch. 3-1 Rawhide after the first inning of work.
That would conclude the Storm’s scoring. It was entirely Visalia from innings two through nine. In the second, Yerald Nin ripped a run-scoring double to extend the lead to 4-1. A frame later, Enyervert Perez demolished another long ball to score two more runs and make it a five-run lead. After three innings, it was 6-1 Visalia.
In the fourth, the Rawhide got runs off multiple fielder’s choices. Visalia tallied 17 hits tonight. With all that traffic on the bases, it wasn’t just extra base hits that helped the ‘Hide score, it was base-knocks to every part of the field. Abdias De La Cruz and Blanco both grounded into FCs and added on two more to make it 8-1. Nin had his hot day, with his third of five going for a single to left that plated another. Then in the sixth, Diamondbacks #24 prospect Ivan Luciano lifted a flyball that carried over the left field fence to help Visalia crack double-digits. With three innings to play, the Rawhide led 10-1.
In the seventh, Nin struck again with an RBI double and Luciano grounded into his own fielder’s choice to add two more. After a scoreless eighth, Visalia continued to add insult to injury after Blanco fired another extra base hit to right and plated one final run on an RBI double. That would end it from Diamond Stadium, after 20 combined hits. Lake Elsinore fell to Visalia 13-1.
Lake Elsinore returns to action on Thursday to face Visalia for game three 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 9-4. The Storm’s starter is still To Be Determined but will face off against Rawhide RHP Jacob Steinmetz (0-0, 3.97 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.