Storm Rally In Late Innings To Snap Giants Win Streak
Published on May 11, 2023 under California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release
San Jose's win streak was snapped at four games with a 7-5 setback to the Lake Elsinore Storm on Wednesday evening at Excite Ballpark. The Storm scored five runs over the seventh and eighth innings to post the come-from-behind victory and even the series at a game apiece. The loss for the Giants (18-11) was only their third defeat in the last 11 games overall.
Thomas Gavello (3-for-4, 2 2B, RBI) doubled twice as part of a three-hit game while Tanner O'Tremba (1-for-3, HR, RBI) belted his first home run of the season to lead San Jose offensively in the loss. Onil Perez (2-for-5, 3B, 2 RBI) and Garrett Frechette (2-for-5, 3B) also had multi-hit games. The Giants knocked out 11 hits, six of which went for extra bases (three doubles, two triples & one home run), but left 12 runners on base.
San Jose built an early 3-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the first before a single tally in the third. Three straight extra-base hits produced the two Giants runs in the opening frame. With one out, Gavello hit a double down the left field line and immediately scored when the next batter, Perez, tripled into the left center gap. Matt Higgins was up next and he hit a double into deep right center that brought home Perez with the second run of the inning.
O'Tremba extended the lead to 3-0 when he crushed an opposite field 401-foot homer to right center in the bottom of the third.
Meanwhile, Gerelmi Maldonado made the start on the mound for the Giants and began his night with three scoreless innings. Maldonado escaped trouble in each of the first three frames pitching around a total of six baserunners. Lake Elsinore though would breakthrough in the top of the fourth as a double from Rosman Verdugo followed by Nick Vogt getting hit by a pitch and Jacob Campbell producing a single loaded the bases with none out. Maldonado then uncorked a wild pitch allowing Verdugo to score the first Storm run. After Charlis Aquino walked to again load the bases, Julio Rodriguez was summoned from the San Jose bullpen. Rodriguez would promptly get out of the inning as he induced Anthony Vilar to ground into a 4-6-3 double play with Vogt scoring from third to cut the Giants lead to one run. A strikeout of Samuel Zavala followed as Rodriguez stranded the potential tying run at third base.
After Rodriguez pitched a scoreless top of the fifth and Nomar Medina breezed through an eight-pitch top of the sixth, San Jose regained their three-run advantage with a rally in the bottom of the sixth inning. Frechette led off with a triple to deep right center and eventually scored on Gavello's one-out RBI single. Perez then collected his second RBI of the night with another run-scoring single to make it a 5-2 game.
The rest of the evening, however, was controlled by Lake Elsinore. Medina returned to the mound in the top of the seventh and saw Aquino lead off with a bunt single. After Vilar flied out, Zavala walked and then Graham Pauley delivered an RBI single to bring the Storm within 5-3. Medina recovered to strikeout Griffin Doersching for the second out before Albert Fabian bounced a double down the right field line that plated Zavala to trim the Giants lead to 5-4. The hit advanced Pauley to third, who then scored the tying run moments later on a passed ball.
After San Jose went down in the bottom of the seventh, Lake Elsinore kept the pressure on with two more runs in the top of the eighth. Vogt led off with a single against Medina before Campbell reached on a bunt single to put runners on first and second. Aquino was up next and he also bunted. Third baseman Edison Mora fielded the bunt, but his throw glanced off the glove of the second baseman Gavello, who was covering at first. Gavello was charged with an error on the play which allowed Aquino to reach base safely and Vogt to score the go-ahead run. Two batters later, Zavala hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-5 Storm. Both runs in the inning charged to Medina were unearned.
Down by two runs, the Giants threatened in the bottom of the eighth as Carter Howell singled with one out before Perez reached on a two-out error, however Higgins struck out to end the inning. Then in the ninth, Jose Ramos worked a one-out walk to bring the tying run to the plate, but Mora struck out and Frechette grounded out as Lake Elsinore held on for the win.
Medina (2-2) was charged with the loss after yielding five runs (two earned) in his 2 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Maldonado pitched three-plus innings in his start with two runs (both earned) and five hits allowed. He walked four and struck out two.
Howell (1-for-5) extended his hitting streak to seven games in the loss. The Storm out-hit the Giants 12-11. Defensively, San Jose turned four double plays. The Giants' four-game winning streak matched a season-high (third time).
The Giants and Storm play the third game of their series on Thursday evening with first pitch at Excite Ballpark set for 6:30 PM. Manuel Mercedes is San Jose's scheduled starting pitcher.
California League Stories from May 11, 2023
- Rawhide Defeat Grizzlies 5-1; Jose Fernandez Hits his Second HR of the Series - Visalia Rawhide
- Fresno Grizzlies Game Notes vs Visalia - Fresno Grizzlies
- Storm Rally In Late Innings To Snap Giants Win Streak - San Jose Giants
- Quakes Stifled Offensively on Wednesday - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- Rawhide Defeat Grizzlies 5-1; Jose Fernandez Hits his Second HR of the Series - Visalia Rawhide
- Three Ports Spin One-Hitter, Snap Skid at Four - Stockton Ports
- Blake Adams' Brilliant Start Ends In 5-1 Fresno Loss To Visalia - Fresno Grizzlies
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