Sixers Unload Three Homers, Hold On for 8-7 Win Over Storm

San Bernardino, CA- The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino blasted three homers and were powered by a six-run seventh inning to down the Lake Elsinore Storm 8-7 on Saturday night at San Manuel Stadium. The 66ers (18-22) held off a furious Storm comeback in the ninth to take their second game of a six-game set with a chance for a split on Sunday afternoon.

Inland Empire got on the board first in the second inning when Caleb Scires led off the second with a solo homer to right field off Storm starter Nick Thwaits. It was Scires fifth dinger of the season. Lake Elsinore took advantage of two Sixers’ errors in the third to tie the game 1-1. The Storm (20-21) took a lead in the fourth when Matthew Acosta tripled off Sixers’ starter Jose Salvador and Gilberto Vizcarra singled him home. Lake Elsinore tacked on a run to make it 3-1 in the fifth. The Sixers got a run back in the fifth when Gustavo Campero drilled a RBI double. Inland Empire unloaded in seventh against Storm righty Miguel Rondon (2-2). Jose Guzman doubled to open the inning and scored when Campero struck again with a RBI single to tie the game. Spencer Brown then belted two run shot to right field for a 5-3 advantage; it was his third of the season. D’Shawn Knowles walked and stole second and third base making him 11-for-11 on the season. Braxton Martinez followed with a walk to chase Rondon and bring in southpaw Ramon Perez to face Jeremiah Jackson. The Sixers’ shortstop promptly smoked a three-run homer to center making it 8-3. The homer was Jackson’s eighth of the year; he leads Low-A West with 40 RBI. Justin Courtney (2-1) tossed a scoreless seventh and eighth for the Sixers but ran into problems in the ninth as Acosta and Vizcarra singled ahead of Angel Solarte’s three-run homer making it 8-6. Jordy Barley followed with a triple and the Sixers turned to Emilker Guzman on the mound. The righty gave up a sac fly to Euribiel Angeles scoring Barley cutting the lead to one run. He then got a line out and a ground out to end the game and earn his second save.

The series concludes Sunday at 2:05 pm. The contest can be seen and heard live on 66ers.com.