Lake Elsinore, CA- The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino opened a three-game series at Lake Elsinore in thrilling fashion as Jared Walsh homered to lead off the top of the ninth inning giving the Sixers a 6-5 advantage. It was Walsh's fourth homer in three days and all five
Lake Elsinore, CA- The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino opened a three-game series at Lake Elsinore in thrilling fashion as Jared Walsh homered to lead off the top of the ninth inning giving the Sixers a 6-5 advantage. It was Walsh's fourth homer in three days and all five of his shots this season have come in the last five days. The victory snapped Inland Empire's three-game losing skid and got the club back even on the year at 6-6.
The Sixers opened the game with three runs against Emmanuel Ramirez in a frame that saw Richie Fecteau deliver and RBI single and Brandon Sandoval collect a sac fly. The Storm (4-8) came back versus IE starter Nate Bertness as Buddy Reed tagged a solo homer in the bottom of the first, his first of the year. Lake Elsinore, aided by a 66ers' error scored three more to take a 4-3 lead. The 66ers scored an error-aided run in the second to tie it 4-4. In the fourth Luis Rengifo took a one-out walk, stole second and third bases and came home on Walsh's sacrifice lineout to left in which Reed made a brilliant diving grab. Rengifo is now 8-for-8 in stolen bases. The Storm tied the contest in the bottom of the seventh on Jorge Oña's RBI double after another Sixers' error extended the threat. That set the stage for Walsh's heroics as the Univerisity of Georgia product, who narrowly missed a homer in the second and settled for a double to extend his hit streak to eight games, took reliever Eliot Ashbeck deep to right. Ashbeck (0-1) had not allowed a hit in two prior innings of work on the night. Zac Ryan (1-0) got the win with a scoreless eighth. Max Herrmann allowed one unearned run over 2.1 innings in his Sixers' debut after a promotion from Low-A Burlington earlier in the day.
The series continues Tuesday at 6:05 pm. The contest can be heard live at 66ers.com.
