Boston Bateman Baffles the 66ers as Storm Shutout the 66ers Again

LAKE ELSINORE – A night after Sam Whiting and Maikel Miralles tag-teamed on a shutout, 2024 second-rounder Boston Bateman took the ball Thursday, looking to propel the Storm to a second straight win. 

Mission accomplished. 

Bateman pitched a career-high six innings, and the Storm cruised to beat the Inland Empire 66ers 4-0 at The Diamond. The game was completed in a crisp hour and 56 minutes. 

The 19-year-old started strong, generating three routine ground balls to retire the 66ers in order in the first as he pounded the zone with a mid-90s fastball. 

“I’ve really liked how we set the tone on the mound, both Whiting yesterday and then Boston today,” said Storm manager Brian Burres after the Storm win. “A lot of strikes early, forcing them to swing the bats. Bring the game to the hitters instead of – I don’t want to say relaxed, but be comfortable. They really attacked them.

“They have to be ready and it’s always nice when you have pitchers that are doing that. Not only for their stat line, but it keeps the defense involved. It keeps the game pace going.” 

Lake Elsinore scored the only runs they’d need in the bottom frame. After Kasen Wells drew a leadoff walk, he took off on the first pitch to swipe second base. After he moved to third on a fly out from Zach Evans, Storm left fielder Kaden Hollow slapped a ball just past a diving second baseman to plate the game’s first run. 

Bateman continued to roll in the second inning, getting Inland right fielder Caleb Bartolero to fly out to right before recording back-to-back strikeouts, including freezing John Wimmer with a changeup. 

The 66ers were hitless through four innings until catcher Dario Laverde broke up the no-hit effort with a dribbler that turned into an infield hit. Bateman proceeded to strike out the next batter and kept the 66ers from mounting a rally. 

“His command was really good tonight, it really was,” said Burres. “And so I don’t want to start expecting that, but I feel like he has that kind of potential every single time he takes the mound.”

Bateman cruised through the fifth and entered the sixth inning for the first time as a professional. He started the inning off a strikeout. After an Evans error put a runner on second, Bateman got two more ground ball outs to finish off the outing and cap off the best start of his young career. 

In six innings of work, Bateman allowed just two hits, with only one leaving the outfield. He walked just one and struck out five, generating 14 swings-and-misses. 

“I think the command was big and just his mentality to keep attacking,” Burres said. “This was his first time getting into the sixth today, professionally, and to continue that mindset, sometimes you can start thinking about it, but he kept just getting on the mound and delivering strikes.” 

Even though Bateman was efficient, throwing just 74 pitches Thursday, it seemed questionable whether Buress would push Bateman into a sixth inning of work. There was absolutely no doubt in Buress’ mind. 

“I had full confidence in him. He would probably not have given me the ball had I asked for it at that point.” 

With Bateman cruising, the Storm offense added on. After Lamar King Jr. legged out an infield single with two outs in the third inning, Ryan Wilson jumped on a fastball from Inland Empire 66ers starter Peyton Olejnik and slammed it into the left-field corner. King scored on the RBI double but Wilson was thrown out trying to stretch the play into a triple. The double was part of a three-hit night for the former Davidson outfielder.

“I like how aggressive [Wilson] was in the zone. When he got pitches to swing [at], he put a good swing on the ball,” said Burres. “That’s going to be key for pretty much all our hitters when they get those good pitches in the heart of the plate to put good swings on them, and he did a good job tonight.”

After a brutal outing last week when he walked four and couldn’t get through an inning, righty Will Varmette came in looking to build positive momentum. The 22-year-old was darn near perfect. 

The righty from Huntsville, Alabama, pitched a clean three innings to earn his first professional victory sitting in the low 90s with his fastball and showing several nasty sliders that Inland Empire struggled to square up. The former undrafted free agent has posted big strikeout numbers since joining the Padres system but has struggled to fill the zone consistently.

“It was good to see,” said Burres. “In his last outing, he struggled with some command issues, [but] he really filled the zone for all three of his innings tonight. So a great bounce-back. I think he can just take it tonight and build on it for his next one.”

Notes: Cobb Hightower was not in the lineup again on Thursday despite being added to the active roster on Wednesday. Burres expects him to be in the lineup on Friday. … Outfielder Kavares Tears missed his third straight game while dealing with a personal matter. There is no current timetable for his return. … Prior to the game, the Storm received infielder Chase Valentine from the Missions. The Storm will be the third affiliate that the 23-year-old will suit for in 2025. Infielder Emil Turbi was sent back to the ACL to open up a roster spot.