Storm Blown Out 21-2

LAKE ELSINORE — It was a rough night for Kruz Schoolcraft, 19, the Padres’ top draft pick in the 2025 draft. He allowed the first five San Jose batters to reach base and surrendered four runs on three hits and three walks before being pulled after recording just one out on 34 pitches.

It went down from there, for Lake Elsinore.

The Storm suffered their worst loss of the year, 21-2, as the San Jose Giants took their fourth straight to open the series.

“As a staff, it’s a challenge for us to get our guys right,” said Storm manager Brallan Perez about keeping his team focused for the next game. “Our job as coaches at this level is to win the day; that means early work, pregame, weights and conditioning, and then the game.

“Our win is to prepare the guys to play the game, and we need and will get better.”

After Schoolcraft’s third of an inning, Rordy Mejia entered the game and got the final two outs, stranding the two runners he inherited. The 21-year-old allowed another run in the second, held the Giants scoreless in the third, and then in the fourth inning gave up three home runs.

While their offense rolled, San Jose also carried a no-hitter going until Jose Verdugo singled to center to break it up with two outs in the fifth. 

Yes, it was that type of night.  

Adler Cecil, 21, came in and pitched better than his line, with six punchouts in three innings. An error by Ty Harvey, who continues to work on developing at first base on days he isn’t catching, helped lead to three unearned runs in the seventh. Cecil didn’t help himself in the frame, allowing a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and a two-run double. 

Still, the product of nearby Temecula High School has pitched well since being promoted from the ACL after missing all of last season with Tommy John surgery. The left-hander has 24 strikeouts in 14 innings, but also 11 walks with the Storm.

In the eighth inning, Lake Elsinore broke up the shutout when a wild pitch brought home Nu’u Contrades before Jorge Quintana added a single to plate another run. Carrying over from last night, it broke an 11-inning scoring drought.

Down 13-2 in the ninth inning, the Storm turned to another local product, catcher Jake Bold, to try to end the game without going deeper into the bullpen.

Unfortunately for the 22-year-old from La Jolla Country Day High School by way of Princeton, who signed as an undrafted free agent last year, it didn’t go well. He walked five and gave up two hits, one a grand slam, before being pulled fellow back-up catcher Augie Lopez, who gave up the second home run of the inning before eventually getting the final out.

Schoolcraft, who had one of his better outings in his last start, had one of his worst on Friday.

“Kruz just didn’t execute tonight,” said Perez. “He had some bad luck, but he would also tell you that he didn’t execute.  

“But even though things didn’t go his way, he didn’t quit on his team. He stayed in the dugout and was cheering for his teammates, and that showed me something: that he really is a competitor and he cares about his teammates.”