Lake Elsinore Storm Drop Game One to Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

A game before 12 PM on a Tuesday afternoon is rare in Minor League Baseball. It's nearly as rare as a Lake Elsinore Storm loss this season and with Henry Baez starting his second game of the year, the offense needed just three total runs to capture their win and avoid a second rarity on the day.

Unfortunately, they came up empty-handed and two runs short in a game that saw excellent pitching, thousands of kids from across local school districts, and an, almost, walk-off from the hometown team.

Through four innings of play, it was all about the pitching. Henry Baez had given up just two hits and no earned runs while the Quakes starter, Peter Heubeck, led the game with a hit batter but aside from his three walks and two hits, went 3.1 innings without giving up an earned run.

The fifth was the most exciting inning of the day. The Quakes scored on a balk while the Storm scored on a wild pitch. The next best chance the Storm had to score was the inning prior. Albert Fabian, Rosman Verdugo, and Anthony Vilar all reached base, setting the table for the hard-hitting Griffin Doersching to become a fourth inning hero. Unfortunately, the Quakes pulled their starter and his replacement got the two strikeouts he needed to avoid an early deficit.

The Quakes would score once more in the 7th, notching the winning run on a sacrifice fly to left fielder Tyler Robertson. In the bottom of the ninth, trailing by one, Doersching would once again get his chance to leave the field in victory. Vilar walked once more to put them a home run away from winning game win. Doersching, on the third pitch of the at bat, sent a baseball over 400 feet but just left of the foul pole. He would strike out on a foul tip two pitches later before Chase Valentine struck out in three pitches to close the game.

The Storm will look to even the series tomorrow night for Woof Wednesday at The Diamond!

-Written by Justin Jett