By Timothy J Sheridan: Mayor Pro Tem, Lake Elsinore; Director of Broadcasting, Lake Elsinore Storm
Special to Elsinore/Menifee 24/7
Although the Lake Elsinore Storm gave up an early lead at Diamond Stadium on Friday night and found themselves trailing 6-2 after 3 1/2 innings and 8-2 after 4 1/2 innings, the mood in the ballpark remained upbeat. And why not? The Storm had scored 38 runs in its previous 3 games, so a 6-run deficit with 5 innings of at-bats left did not seem to be an issue.
In the end, it was not. They only needed 4 innings. Lake Elsinore scored 1 run in the 5th, 5 runs in the 7th, and 2 more in the 8th to win the ballgame, 12-8.
At the same time, Storm pitching buckled down and held the Rawhide scoreless for the final 4 innings of the game. San Diego Padres reliever and Riverside County native Jeremiah Estrada, in Lake Elsinore on a rehabilitation assignment, pitched 1 perfect inning to earn the win. He also struck out 1 batter.
Oh, one more thing; the Rawhide defense committed 7 errors in the game. Yes, 7 errors – that helped too!
On the offensive side, the Storm was led by first baseman Luke Cantwell, who had 2 doubles and drove in 3 runs. Others contributed as well: catcher Victor Duarte had 2 singles and drove in 2, center fielder Ryan Wideman had 2 hits, including a triple, shortstop Bradley Frye had 2 hits, and Justin DeCriscio drove in 2 and scored 3 times.
The Storm and the Rawhide play game 5 of the 6-game series tonight at 6:45 pm at Diamond Stadium. For tickets, visit tickets@stormbaseball.com or visit the Diamond Stadium Box Office prior to the game. The Box Office opens 3 hours before the game.
You can also listen to the game for free on MiLB.com or watch it for free on the Bally Sports Live app.
