The Long Ball Lifts Lake Elsinore Storm over Modesto Nuts
After two consecutive losses and in need of a win, the 39th overall pick, Robby Snelling, stepped on the mound and twirled a gem tonight in a 7-1 Lake Elsinore Storm win. He would go through five innings of work, allowing only one earned run, just as the two previous
After two consecutive losses and in need of a win, the 39th overall pick, Robby Snelling, stepped on the mound and twirled a gem tonight in a 7-1 Lake Elsinore Storm win. He would go through five innings of work, allowing only one earned run, just as the two previous starters did before him, giving up three hits, and striking out six batters. This lone run would come off the bat of Colin Davis on a home run to left field. This trip around the bags succeeded a towering, two RBI home run from Anthony Vilar, his second over the daunting Ad Monster in right field and his third home run of the season.
Can you Snelllllling what the Rob was cooking?!#StormTheLake pic.twitter.com/8B3l8aSS0v
— Lake Elsinore Storm Baseball (@Storm_Baseball) April 22, 2023
Following Snelling out of the pen was Drew Pomeranz who would be taking the field for his second rehab appearance this week. He would acquire the three outs he needed in extremely economic fashion, needing only 10 pitches (7 strikes) in total to do so.
In the bottom of the 7th, the Storm would do something that had become to seem inevitable through the first 10 games of the season but escaped their grasp over their last two; putting a crooked number on the board. However, this auspiciously crooked number began with just one. One Kai Murphy home run off of the right field foul pole, his first of the season, would set in motion exactly what the Storm needed to put multiple runs on the scoreboard.
Samuel Zavala followed his trip around the bases with a walk. Tyler Robertson and Graham Pauley would then both hit singles to score the Storm's fifth run of the game, a well-executed double steal would force the Nuts into a run-producing error for the sixth run, and Albert Fabian would shoot a line drive into right field to get the Storm's total to seven total runs scored on the night.
Ian Koenig would take the mound after Pomeranz, pitching for the remaining three innings and be given the save for doing so. He would allow no hits, walks, runs, or earned runs but would strike out four of the nine batters he faced to lower his ERA to 2.00 on the season. Tonight's win evens the series at 2-2 and keeps the Eyes at the top of the California League standings.
The Storm hope to take command of the series tomorrow night at 5:00 PM before the homestand finally concludes on Sunday at 1:00 PM.
-Written by Justin Jett