Record Night For Giants In 19-1 Rout Of Storm

May 12, 2023 – California League (CalL) – San Jose Giants News Release

The San Jose Giants matched their team record for largest margin of victory in a 19-1 rout of the Lake Elsinore Storm on Thursday night at Excite Ballpark. The Giants scored nine times over the first four innings to take early control of the game before erupting for a nine-run bottom of the seventh on their way to the blowout win. San Jose (19-11) has claimed five out of their last six games overall, including two of the first three contests in the current series against Lake Elsinore.

Matt Higgins (3-for-5, HR, 6 RBI) homered as part of a three-hit, six-RBI night at the plate to lead the Giants offensively in the convincing win. Thomas Gavello (1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI) and P.J. Hilson (2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI) also went deep while Diego Velasquez (3-for-4, 2B, RBI) produced three hits and scored five runs. Other multi-hit games came from Onil Perez (2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI) and Andrew Kachel (2-for-5, 2B, RBI, SB). Every player in the San Jose lineup scored at least one run while eight of the nine produced a hit and collected an RBI.

The 18-run margin tied the team record set on May 5, 1995 in a 20-2 victory over the Stockton Ports. The Giants’ 19 runs scored on Thursday was one shy of matching the club record for runs in a game at Excite Ballpark (20 runs on August 9, 2019 vs. Modesto).

San Jose jumped out early on Thursday scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. With one out, Velasquez drew a walk before Higgins’ potential double play grounder to second was misplayed for an error. Perez followed with an RBI groundout to score Velasquez and then Gavello stepped to the plate and launched an opposite field two-run home run to deep left center. The round-tripper was Gavello’s third in three games during the current series and team-leading sixth overall this season.

The Storm’s only run of the night came in the top of the third before the Giants offense went right back to work in the bottom of the inning. Carter Howell reached on an infield single to start the rally and Velasquez was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Higgins then crushed a three-run home run out to left to push the lead to 6-1. The homer was Higgins’ third of the season.

San Jose then kept the pressure on with three more runs in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Hilson belted a solo homer down the left field line to make it a 7-1 game. It was Hilson’s first homer of the year.

A walk…