Six-Run Third Carries Ports to Win in Lake Elsinore

Lake Elsinore, CA - The Stockton Ports used a six-run third inning to beat the Lake Elsinore Storm 7-5 on Saturday night in front of 1,311 at The Diamond in Southern California.

Tied at 1-1 after two innings, the Ports sent ten men to the plate in their six-run third and benefited from two errors by the Storm. Tommy Stevenson doubled to start the frame and scored when Henry Bolte singled up the middle to give Stockton a 2-1 lead. After a fly out, a walk and a hit by pitch, Dereck Salom singled to center field to drive in Bolte and Bjay Cooke making it 4-1. After a throwing error, Carlos Franco lined a single to right center field to score Jose Escorche and Pedro Pineda followed with an RBI groundout to score Salom increasing the Ports lead to 6-1. Franco scored on a fielding error by right fielder Nick Vogt to give the Ports a 7-1 advantage.

The Storm scored single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings but could not muster enough offense to come back against Stockton starter Dheygler Gimenez and two Ports relievers.

Yunior Tur (1-0) picked up the win for the Ports allowing two runs on four hits over 2.2 innings in relief of Gimenez. Lake Elsinore starter Henry Williams (0-3) took the loss surrendering four runs on six hits in 2.1 innings. Franck De La Rosa notched the save for the Ports in his Stockton debut walking two and striking out one in two scoreless innings to end the ballgame

The Ports will go for the split in the series and road trip finale on Sunday afternoon at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 pm.