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Sports

Lake Elsinore Storm Gets First Shutout After Rough Week At Home

The week in review for the Lake Elsinore Storm Class A baseball team.

Lake Elsinore had an unsuccessful homestand this past week, going 2-5 and losing four games in a row to remain in last place in the California League at 11-20.

The lone highlight came on Sunday at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore, in a 4-0 shutout of the Stockton Ports. It marked the first shutout of the season for the Storm.

Sunday's win was spun together by the 6'9" 250-pound starting pitcher Matt “Big Country” Lollis (five hits, five strikeouts, three walks), Chris Fetter (one inning of one-hit ball), Zachary Herr (two hits in one inning) and Dustin Pease (two no-hit innings, two strikeouts, one walk).

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Lollis, one of the San Diego Padres’ top six prospects, is 2-4 this season. He had allowed one homerun in each of his previous six starts.

Lake Elsinore’s power was put on display as it scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Edinson Rincon ignited it by homering over the left field fence. Nathan Freiman followed with a double, then Jonathan Galvez hit his fourth home run to right.

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Leading up to Sunday's game, Lake Elsinore was on a four-game losing streak that began Wednesday with an 11-6 loss to the Bakersfield Blaze. The Storm had an opportunity to win it, going up 5-4 after scoring four runs in the third inning.

Reymond Fuentes doubled, then Galvez reached on a fielder’s choice. Jedd Gyorko singled Galvez to third, Freiman hit a sacrifice fly that scored Galvez. Rincon singled Gyorko to third base, then Eddy Rodriguez picked a good time to hit his first homer of the season, a three-run blast.

The score was tied 6-6 until the top of the seventh, when the Blaze put the game away by scoring four runs for a 10-6 lead. Chris Richburg hit a two-run double, then two RBI singles topped off the inning.

An 8-4 loss on Thursday prolonged the misery a bit. Gyorko went 2-for-3 with an RBI; Fuentes went 3-for-4 with a run and two steals.

Fetter struggled mightily, allowing six earned runs over three innings. Pedro Hernandez allowed two more runs over four innings.

Lake Elsinore began its series with Stockton with a loss Thursday, 8-5. Michael Watt (0-4) allowed four runs – none earned – over five innings.

Once again, the Storm was right in the game, with the score tied at 4, before the Ports scored three runs off Jeremy McBryde (0-2) in the sixth to put things to bed.

Freiman hit a two-run homer, his fifth of the season, to tie the score at 4 in the fifth inning. He went 2-for-5. Rincon went 2-for-4.

Saturday was another gut-wrenching close loss, 9-7 in 13 innings. Mitch LeVier’s two-run single sealed the deal in the top of the inning against reliever Adam Schrader.

Lake Elsinore showed some fortitude by tying the game 7-7 in the bottom of the ninth. Dean Anna, Rodriguez and Daniel Meeley all singled to load the bases. With two outs, Jeudy Valdez hit a clutch, two-run single. Gyorko struck out swinging with two on base to end the inning.

Starting pitcher Jerry Sullivan continued the struggles of the Storm pitchers. He allowed seven runs, five earned on 10 hits.

Meeley went 3-for-6 with two runs scored. Valdez went 1-for-6 with three RBI, and Gyorko went 1-for-6 with two RBI.

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