The Lake Elsinore Storm got the tying run in the seventh inning and then rallied for three runs in the eighth for a 5-2 win in Visalia over the Rawhide Wednesday night. Starter Levi Thomas went four strong innings and three relievers covered five scoreless innings the rest of the way.
2B Max Ferguson had two hits, including a triple, and LF Lucas Dunn had two doubles and drove in two runs in the eighth inning rally for Lake Elsinore.
The Storm got on the board right away against Visalia starter Joe Elbis. Ferguson tripled to lead off the game and came in on a groundout by Jarryd Dale. Elbis righted the ship quickly and went on to have a very solid five-inning outing, allowing just the one run on three hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
Visalia tied it in the third inning on an RBI single by RF Neyfy Castillo. They took the lead in the fourth on an RBI single by CF Glenallen Hill Jr. Visalia held the 2-1 lead until the seventh inning when C Gilberto Vizcarra singled in the tying run for Lake Elsinore.
Dunn’s second double of the game brought home two runs in the eighth to give the Storm a 4-2 lead and RF Jack Stronach singled him in to make it 5-2.
RHP Alek Jacob came on in the fifth inning for Lake Elsinore and tossed two shutout innings, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out three. RHP Jason Reynolds (W, 6-1) went two scoreless with no runs, no hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Lefty Hazahel Quijada (S, 1) finished it off with a scoreless inning, allowing one walk and striking out two.
Ferguson just joined the Storm this week and in two games he’s off to a 5-for-10 start with a double, a triple and four runs scored. He also made two slick plays at 2B, one a dive where he stretched out to snag a sharp grounder headed to right field and got up to get the out at first. Another good play was a glove flip to first to get a speedy runner out on a bang-bang play.
Elbis, an 18-year old out of Caracas, Venezuela, made his second start with the Rawhide and pitched well after settling in after the leadoff triple. In his first start he walked three in four innings vs. no walks in five innings on Wednesday night.
SCOREBOARD
STOCKTON – 1
SAN JOSE – 8
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – 8
INLAND EMPIRE – 7
11 Innings
Box
FRESNO
MODESTO
PPD
