The Lake Elsinore Storm defeated the Ontario Tower Buzzers 10-9 in Game 1 of the Cal League Playoffs on Tuesday, September 8th, in Ontario, California. It was the first-ever playoff game for the Tower Buzzers.
Despite a six-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ontario fell short. Ching-Hsien Ko and Joendry Vargas both hit home runs during the inning. Easton Shelton, who finished the game 3-for-5 with his 37th home run and 112th RBI of the season, struck out to end the game. Earlier this season, Shelton broke the Dodgers single-season minor league records for both home runs and RBIs.
Jesus Castro earned the win for Lake Elsinore, pitching six innings and allowing just two hits and one earned run while striking out five and walking one. Alex Conover went 4-for-5 with two RBIs, leading the Storm’s offense, which produced four runs in both the fourth and ninth innings.
Ontario Manager John Shoemaker noted his team’s struggles with runners in scoring position, stating, “We got down too much. The four they picked up in the ninth inning was big insurance runs for them.” He added, “Teams that knock in runs with people in scoring positions, usually win games, and they did it tonight. We didn't do much until the end.” Ontario was 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position before the ninth inning.
Ontario starter Marlon Nieves took the loss, allowing five runs off seven hits, though only one was earned. Shoemaker defended Nieves, saying, “He battled. We had a couple of plays that normally we make. We didn't make a play, and it led to four runs. You must give him credit. They hit with men on base; timely hitting is the key to victory.”
Despite the loss, Shoemaker expressed optimism for the remainder of the series. “We’re very confident. We have won two games in a row many times this year. We’re going down to Lake Elsinore with that attitude. We got to win Thursday to get back to action Friday,” he said. Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday, September 10th, at Lake Elsinore, with a potential Game 3 on Friday, September 11th, also at Lake Elsinore. The series winner will face the winner of the San Jose Giants and Stockton Ports, with that series beginning on Sunday, September 13th.
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