The Lake Elsinore Storm got four runs in the second inning and held off a ninth-inning rally to beat the Visalia Rawhide by a score of 5-3 on Tuesday night at Valley Strong Ballpark. LHP Luis Gutierrez (W, 1-1) allowed just one unearned run over five innings and Romeo Sanabria belted his eighth home run of the season as the Storm (32-30) clinched the South division first-half title and a berth in the 2024 playoffs.
After a scoreless first inning, the visitors took a 4-0 lead with a second-inning rally aided by a pair of walks. A single and two free passes loaded the bases with one out for C J.D. Gonzalez, who brought in the first run with a sacrifice fly.
With two outs, 2B Chase Valentine singled in a run and LF Wyatt Hoffman doubled in two more to put Lake Elsinore up 4-0.
Gutierrez kept the Rawhide off the scoreboard until the fifth inning when they pushed across a run on a throwing error by 3B Rosman Verdugo with two outs. Visalia RF Angel Ortiz doubled before LF Jefferson Pena grounded sharply to Verdugo, who threw high past first base allowing Ortiz to come around and score to make it 4-1 Storm.
Gutierrez allowed just the one unearned run on five hits with no walks and two strikeouts over five innings. The 20-year old from Venezuela threw 71 pitches, 48 for strikes.
Sanabria’s eighth-inning solo shot made it 5-1, Lake Elsinore, until the Rawhide came up in the bottom of the ninth. A Ruben Santana single and a walk to Ortiz put two on with one out for Visalia. An out later, Cristofer Torin singled to load the bases before Jansel Luis singled in a pair to cut the lead to 5-3 with two outs.
RHP Thomas Balboni Jr. got Demetrio Crisantes to strike out to end the game and earn Balboni Jr. his second save of the season.
It was a thrilling, but disappointing, end to the game for the 1,368 in attendance.
Visalia starter RHP Casey Anderson (L, 2-4) went six innings and allowed four runs on five hits and two walks with six Ks in taking the loss. Outside of the second inning, where he hurt himself with two walks along with two singles and a double, Anderson was efficient in keeping the Storm off of the scoreboard.
Game two of the six-game series goes Wednesday night at 6:30 PM.
