LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. - The Stockton Ports were swept in a series for the first time this season on Thursday night at The Diamond. The Lake Elsinore Storm had a hit in every inning and scored in four different frames to send the Ports to a 6-3 loss. With the
LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. - The Stockton Ports were swept in a series for the first time this season on Thursday night at The Diamond. The Lake Elsinore Storm had a hit in every inning and scored in four different frames to send the Ports to a 6-3 loss. With the loss, the Ports have now dropped a season-high four straight games.
The Storm caught a break in the third inning thanks to the twilight sky. With two on and two out, Ty France hit a pop up to shortstop Eli White. White lost the ball in the lights as it fell on the outfield grass in what had to be scored a two-run double for France to give the Storm a 2-0 lead.
Stockton's only run scoring inning came in the fourth. With runners at the corners and one out, Mikey White drove in the first run of the frame with an RBI groundout to third. Seth Brown followed with a triple to left-center to tie the game and Chris Iriart delivered a double off the right field fence to score Brown and give Stockton a 3-2 lead. Trent Gilbert then singled to center, but Iriart was thrown out at the plate by center fielder Michael Gettys to end the inning.
Storm starter Joey Lucchesi (3-0) would set the side down in order in the fifth and go on to pick up the win as he allowed three runs on six hits while striking out three in five innings of work.
Stockton's lead was short-lived as Lake Elsinore was quick to tie the contest in the bottom of the fourth. With runners at first and second and one out, Peter Van Gansen lined an RBI single to center to knot the score at 3-3. Lake Elsinore would surge ahead for good in the bottom of the fifth. With runners at the corners and one out, Ports starter Dustin Hurlbutt (1-2) uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Ruddy Giron to score from third. Later in the inning with two outs, Carlos Belen tripled to right to score France and make it a 5-3 Lake Elsinore advantage.
Belen's triple also knocked Hurlbutt from the contest. The right-hander suffered the loss after going a season-high 4.2 innings and allowing a season-high five runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out three.
Boomer Biegalski took over for Hurlbutt in the fifth and would allow one run over the course of his outing. Biegalski gave up a leadoff bunt-single to Gettys in the seventh. Gettys would steal second and third and score on a sac-fly by Javier Guerra that made it a 6-3 Storm lead. Biegalski would go 3.1 innings and allow just the one run on three hits while striking out two.
Thomas Dorminy was first out of the bullpen for Lake Elsinore and pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh. In the eighth, Dorminy walked Josh Vidales to open the inning and then gave up a single to Eli White. Dorminy was then lifted for Trevor Frank (SV, 2), who would retire the next six batters in succession to earn his second save of the season. Frank punctuated the save with back-to-back strikeouts to end the ballgame.
The Ports will try and snap their four-game skid when they open a four-game set with the Lancaster JetHawks on Friday night at The Hangar. A.J. Puk (1-3, 4.26 ERA) takes the ball for Stockton in the series opener, opposed by JetHawks right-hander Craig Schlitter (4-0, 1.95 ERA). First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. PDT.
