Inland Empire Evens Series with 7-6 Decision Over Storm

San Bernardino, CA- The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino evened a six-game set with the Lake Elsinore Storm at a game apiece with a 7-6 win at San Manuel Stadium on Wednesday. The Sixers trailed 4-1 heading into the sixth inning but turned on the offense scoring six runs on eight hits over their final three trips to the plate and are now 11-9 versus the Storm in 2021.

The Storm (31-37) opened the scoring in the second against Sixers’ starter Jose Salvador. The Storm got an RBI double from Carlos Luis, RBI single from Robert Hassell III and a RBI groundout off the bat of Euribiel Angeles. A passed ball brought in an unearned fourth run. Salvador did not allow another run in his five innings of work. The Sixers did scratch a run in the bottom of the frame when Elijah Greene doubled, extending his hit-streak to a season-best seven-games, and then scored on Julio De La Cruz’s triple making it 4-1; that was the lone run allowed in Storm starter Ruben Galindo’s four innings. The Sixers took charge in the sixth when with one out, Gustavo Campero took a walk from LE reliever Levi Thomas (2-4) and Edwin Yon doubled him to third. After Jose Reyes’ brought in Campero with an infield single, Yon scored on a wild pitch making it 4-3. Greene then walked and with two down, De La Cruz delivered again with a two-run double off the wall in right giving the Sixers a 5-4 advantage. The Sixers made it 6-4 in the seventh on Edwin Yon’s RBI single against Duilio Ochoa. Sean Guilbe’s sac fly in the top of the eighth cut the Sixers’ lead to 6-5 but Greene changed that in the bottom of the eighth as he led off the frame by smacking a liner to center, Hassell attempted a diving catch but could not come up with it and the the ball rolled to the wall in center; Greene raced around the bags for an inside-the-park homer, his first home run as a professional and a 7-5 lead. The Storm made it interesting in the ninth as, with one run in and a man in scoring position at second, Emilker Guzman struck out Storm slugger Brandon Valenzuela to end the game and secure a 7-6 victory as well as his sixth save in six opportunities. Hassell finished with three hits, two stolen bases and a walk in the loss. Dakota Donovan (3-2) earned the win for the Sixers with two shutout frames of relief. De La Cruz, Green, Yon and Jeremy Arocho all had two-hit games for the Sixers (35-32).

The series continues Thursday at 7:05 pm. The contest can be seen and heard live on 66ers.com.