Storm Beat Ports as Their Magic Number Moves to Three Presented by The Valley News
A seesaw being used for the first time by rambunctious teens has less back and forth than the current series being played between the Stockton Ports and Lake Elsinore Storm. On Tuesday night, the Stockton Ports came back from a four-run deficit to win by six runs. On Wednesday night,
A seesaw being used for the first time by rambunctious teens has less back and forth than the current series being played between the Stockton Ports and Lake Elsinore Storm.
On Tuesday night, the Stockton Ports came back from a four-run deficit to win by six runs.
On Wednesday night, the Storm crushed Stockton to the tune of a 19-0 final score.
On Thursday night, the Ports produced their own shutout with a 4-0 victory.
On Friday night, with a crowd of nearly 2,500 of 951 residents in attendance, the Storm lowered their magic number to clinch the California League playoffs to three when they won by a final score of 5-2.
Ian Koenig was tonight's starter for the home team. He would go only three innings but refuse to allow a run. Eric Yost would then come in and go five strong innings with four strikeouts, four hits allowed, and not a single run touching the plate.
While this was happening, the Storm were putting together a very competent offensive night. Leodalis De Vries was on base three times tonight but the first came in the first with a walk. A stolen base would put him in scoring position for the consistently clutch Romeo Sanabria. Sanabria would smash a ball up the middle to bring him home. Rosman Verdugo would then hit a double that was just enough to bring Sanabria all the way around to score the game's second run.
The Storm would score three more runs while Yost was still on the mound. The first came from a wild pitch and the second was a Wyatt Hoffman sacrifice fly. The third was the most exciting. De Vries would launch a baseball into orbit, hoping for it to find a satellite that would lift it far enough for his first professional home run. Unfortunately, the Ad Monster (aptly named in this instance) would take it away from him. It would hit the very top of the wall and be brought back into play, giving him an RBI double.
Thomas Balboni Jr would pitch in the 9th inning where he would allow two runs to score but not enough for the Ports to truly threaten a comeback.
The Storm now need at least three wins in their final five games of the first half to clinch a playoff spot in September. They play the Ports again tomorrow for Mexican Heritage Night at The Lake Elsinore Diamond.