Lake Elsinore Storm Walk Off Giants in Extra Innings Presented by The Valley News
Wednesdays are one of the slower days across professional baseball. These days are not only directly in the middle of the week but often conclude series in day-game fashion in the MLB. They are also right before Thursdays get thirsty and the weekend gets going in Minor League Baseball. It
Wednesdays are one of the slower days across professional baseball. These days are not only directly in the middle of the week but often conclude series in day-game fashion in the MLB. They are also right before Thursdays get thirsty and the weekend gets going in Minor League Baseball. It wouldn't be out of the question for these games to have a more relaxed even lackadaisical feel. The Lake Elsinore Storm weren't interested in participating in another quiet hump day, however, as they would play a game into extra innings and walk it off behind big nights from Braedon Karpathios and Wyatt Hoffman.
But first, it began as it always does, with the starting pitcher on the mound for the Lake Elsinore Storm. Jose Luis Reyes would get the start and go 3.2 innings, striking out six, allowing three hits, and giving up just two unearned runs. Both of the runs he allowed would come via throwing errors.
The first run resulted from two throwing errors in the very first inning. The one charged to Romeo Sanabria was on a play that should have caught the leadoff runner stealing second, the second by J.D. Gonzalez was yet another runner caught between bags that resulted in a ball needlessly landing up in the outfield. This put the Storm behind 1-0 in the first inning.
The second throwing error turned run came after Romeo Sanabria amended his previous mistake with an opposite-field blast to even the score at one run apiece. It would be charged once more to J.D. Gonzalez who allowed a stealing baserunner to reach third base, ultimately touching home after a single brought him there. The Lake Elsinore Storm put up a remarkable five errors on the stat sheet, four of which were throwing errors.
In the 6th inning, after Rosman Verdugo reached base with a single and Braedon Karpathios had his first of two doubles on the day, Wyatt Hoffman was up to bat. He did something he has only done one other time at the professional level. Hoffman sent a baseball outside the stadium with a three-run blast that flipped the score and gave the Storm a 4-2 lead. This score would be stuck in place until the top of the 9th inning.
Thomas Balboni Jr. would strike out the first batter that he faced in that inning but then, the wheels began to spin out of place. It started with a single before a groundout put Lake Elsinore one out away from victory. Unfortunately, Balboni Jr would attempt a pick-off without a first baseman on the bag. This gave the runner an extra 90 feet. A wild pitch would then give him 90 more. Then, a single, walk, and another single would tie the game at four runs.
Luis German would be tasked with getting the final out, which he did, but the Storm wouldn't walk it off in the bottom of the 9th. German would stay in the ballgame for the top of the 10th inning, allowing only the ghost runner on second to score.
After Romeo Sanabria began the bottom of the final inning with a walk, Braedon Karpathios stepped to the plate and hit the game-tying double that put two runners in scoring position. Karpathios would go 3-4 tonight with a triple, two doubles, a walk, a run scored, and a run batted in. Wyatt Hoffman would then be asked to put the Storm in the lead once more... and he obliged. In the most productive out in the ballgame, his jolt to centerfield was enough for the runner at third to score and the Storm to even the homestand series at one win each.