The Sand Gnats started off the first inning scoring five unearned runs, but the Storm answered with RBI singles by Marq Buisson and Curtis McCleish to tie it up and never looked back.
The Storm’s David Suszynski led off the bottom of the first with a single and James Guarino grounded out to score Buisson. The bats were lively for the Storm with 10 hits including two doubles by Aidan Haskell and one by Luke Gocke.
Haskell went 2-3, Buisson went 2-3 and scored four runs, and McCleish also went 2-3 with 2 RBIs. Justin Ford managed two bases on balls to bring in a run.
The Storm defense was stingy with no errors and a stunning surprise pick-off by Danny Wersching, a clutch pop-up catch by Guarino, and two back-to-back game-sealing unassisted plays at first by Eric McMahon.
The Sand Gnats’ Liam O’Donnell went 2-3 with three stolen bases and Danny Desmond wringed out two walks and a hit-by-pitch to score a run.
Wersching threw three innings for Storm allowing only one run on two hits with four strikeouts while Gocke closed with 13 pitches and a strikeout.
The Storm’s undauntable lead-off hitter, Robert Thiel, was uncharacteristically late to the game and managed only one at bat.
