Stockton Storms Back in Sixth to Spark 10-4 Win in Lake Elsinore

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. — A seven-run sixth inning for the Ports powered them past the Storm in a 10-4 win, getting the six-game series down south off on the right foot by taking game one.

Stockton Found themselves down 4-0 going into the big sixth inning against the first place team in the California League’s South Division. Lake Elsinore got a pair of runs off starter Jose Dicochea in his four innings of work. They’d get two more in the bottom of the fifth off Alejandro Manzano, who made his first appearance since May 4 after a stint on the injured list.

Manzano would pitch a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth after knocking off the rust in the fifth, and was buoyed by the Ports monster top of the sixth inning to get his third win of the year.

The big inning for Stockton started with catcher Carlos Franco singling up the middle, and recent returner to the Ports, Clark Elliot, being hit by a pitch. Darlyn Montero singled to right on a hard hit ball to load the bases, and that would be the end of the night for Storm starter Luis Gutierrez.

The Ports would continue the rally against reliever Keegan Collett, when Nelson Beltran greeted him with a base hit to right to score Franco and put Stockton on the board at 4-1. The hits kept coming as Nate Nankil singled to left to score Elliott and Montero to make it a 4-3 game, and TJ Schofield-Sam singled to left to plate Beltran to tie the game at 4-4.

A wild pitch would provide what ended up the game-winning run when Nankil raced home for a 5-4 lead. But the Ports weren’t done yet, as they got some big time breathing room and a firm grip on the game’s momentum when Myles Naylor crushed his team-leading seventh home run of the season in front of the scoreboard in left to go up 7-4.

Stockton got another run in the seventh when Beltran drove in Elliott on a hard-hit ball up the middle for an 8-4 advantage. They’d get two more in the ninth to pad their lead after Ryan Lasko doubled and came in on Beltran’s third hit and third RBI of the night to go up 9-4. Then Beltran and Nankil executed a delayed double steal, and though Nankil was thrown out at second for the second out of the inning, Beltran came home to complete the scoring at 10-4.

Luke Anderson allowed a walk in the ninth, but retired the last two Lake Elsinore hitters with a line out and a strike out to end the ballgame.

It was the third, three-hit game of the season for Beltran and the first time he has driven in three runs in a game on the year. He continues to be clutch for the Ports, as he his hitting exactly .300 with runners in scoring position. Lasko extended his hit streak to eight games, and he and Nankil extended their on-base streaks to 16 and 17 games respectively.

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Game two will also be a 6:05 p.m. first pitch. Storm right hander Jose Luis Reyes (2-4, 7.00) will go up against 18-year-old righty Steven Echvarria (0-2, 7.36).

Single game tickets, mini plans, and group outings are all on sale for the 2024 season. For more information, call the Ports front office at 209-644-1900 or email at [email protected].