Lake Elsinore clinches first-half title

The Lake Elsinore Storm clinched the California League's first-half South Division title in nail-biting fashion Monday night, with a 5-4 victory over the second-place Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

The Padres' Class A Advanced affiliate, which wrapped up the crown in front of 1,058 fans at The Epicenter in Rancho Cucamonga, is guaranteed a playoff berth at the end of the regular season.

"It's very rewarding," manager Carlos Lezcano said. "We have a bunch of guys [who] work hard, come to the ballpark early, get along very well together, practice hard and play hard. The kids deserve it."

Lake Elsinore (43-21) jumped out to a 4-1 lead after a three-run homer by center fielder Blake Tekotte in the second inning. An inning later, Daniel Robertson led off with a triple and scored on a throwing error by Quakes second baseman Alexi Amarista.

Rancho Cucamonga (37-27) didn't go away, though. The Quakes trimmed the deficit to 5-4, but Lake Elsinore's Brad Brach tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to close out the game.

Pitching has been the key to the Storm's success this year -- Lake Elsinore leads the California League with a 3.65 team ERA. On Monday, starter Juan Oramas (5-0, 1.96 ERA) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five over five innings for the win. Brach earned his league-leading 24th save.

The Storm will look to carry the momentum of its first-half title into the second half.

"Our approach all season has been, 'Today our record is 0-0, so we got to win the game we play [today],'" Lezcano said.

Lake Elsinore has not won the California League championship since 1996, but the Storm's record is currently the best in the league. But a lot can change between now and September.

"Our starting pitchers are limited on innings, so we'll make adjustments," Lezcano said. "The bullpen will get a little more work, and some changes might be made as far as guys moving up. But other than that, just try to stay healthy."