Lake Elsinore Storm Win After Samuel Zavala's 8th Inning Home Run

On an idyllic Sunday afternoon in a sold-out Lake Elsinore Diamond Stadium, a huge 8th-inning home run from the Padres #4 overall prospect, Samuel Zavala, vaulted the home team to victory.

The afternoon began with Austin Krob on the mound in a quick and efficient first inning of work that saw three total batters and 11 pitches thrown. After the Storm essentially replicated the outcomes that came in the top of the inning, Krob was back out there to face Josh Hood. Hood would promptly homer on the second pitch he saw to give the early 1-0 lead to the Modesto Nuts.

In the bottom of the 4th inning, with the game stuck at 1-0, Anthony Vilar would slam a double into right field. Samuel Zavala would be awarded the "Good Teammate Hard Hat" after placing a sacrifice bunt down the left field line in order to move Vilar 90 feet away from home. Albert Fabian would make sure this team-first AB from Zavala wasn't in vain by hitting a single to the same place Vilar had just placed his double two batters earlier. This game of small ball would tie the score at one run apiece.

Good Teammate Hard Hat > Home Run ______#StormTheLake https://t.co/dXtCD5UW7w pic.twitter.com/DU7vHLXECA

— Lake Elsinore Storm Baseball (@Storm_Baseball) April 23, 2023

The Storm would run into some trouble again in the 5th, however. Krob, after allowing the first two batters of the inning to reach base, struck out the following two before delivering an errant throw to second base. On a pick-off attempt, Krob would toss the ball into center field, allowing two runs to score on the error before ultimately striking out the side to finalize the inning and his outing. His final line would include five innings pitched, two hits allowed, three total runs, one earned run, and four strikeouts.

The Storm would tie the game once more in the bottom of the 6th with more quality, situational hitting and yet another RBI for Albert Fabian. After a wild toss of their own from Modesto's Nick Davalia, two batters would be placed in scoring position. Fabian, as he has done all year, would successfully notch the clutch hit into center field and cut the lead to one. Griffin Doersching, at 6'4'' 250 lbs, would then hit a swinging bunt and hustle his way to first allowing the tying run to score and keeping the inning going.

With the score remaining tied in the bottom of the 8th, Samuel Zavala would take the plate and launch an opposite field home run over the left field wall to break the tie and put the Storm three outs away from victory. Luckily, they would add more runs to their final tally. Fabian would single yet again, allowing a Doersching double to bring him home, and finally, Wyatt Hoffman would get a sharply hit grounder through the left side to bring Doersching and Lake Elsinore's sixth run across the plate.

Will Geerdes would then slam the door in the top of the 9th with two strikeouts and a pop out to end the day. The Storm will travel to Visalia for their next series before returning to The Diamond on May 2nd against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

-Written by Justin Jett