Carter, Ramos spark Storm win

By: GREG BALL - Staff Writer | Sunday, July 4, 2004 10:26 PM PDT ∞

SAN BERNARDINO ---- Josh Carter's torrid July pace continued, and Peeter Ramos turned in the offensive contribution the Storm have been waiting for since his recent promotion to Lake Elsinore. Along the way, the Storm received another fine performance from one of their unproven pitchers.

Carter and Ramos each went 3-for-4, and one or the other factored in each of the Storm's rallies Sunday as the Storm toppled Inland Empire, 4-2, in front of 7,011 at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.

The win came as a relief to the struggling Storm, who won consecutive games for the first time since June 6 and 7.

"It feels like that long," Storm manager Rick Renteria said.

Carter and Ramos sparked a Storm lineup that jumped to an early lead and totaled 10 hits against Inland Empire pitching. Carter improved his post All-Star break batting average to .647 (11-for-17).

"I feel real calm, relaxed and selective up there," Carter said. "I'm just going to ride on this high, because baseball's a game of highs and lows."

Jared Wells (1-0) continued to pitch well in his second start with the Storm (4-6, 38-42), and now hasn't allowed a run in 12 innings in the California League. He blanked the Sixers (5-5, 44-36) on seven hits over six innings by pitching on the black.

"That's the most fundamental part of pitching," Renteria said. "He stayed down in the zone, too."

Even more impressive was that Wells beat Sixers lefty Bobby Livingston, who hadn't lost since May 26.

Livingston allowed four runs on nine hits in six innings.

Two of those runs came in the first inning, when Livingston (8-3) allowed the first four Storm batters to reach base. Paul McAnulty and Carter each contributed RBI singles.

Luis Cruz added an RBI double in the fifth, and Carter scored on Andres Pagan's groundout in the sixth.

Inland Empire's only scoring came in the eighth. Gary Harris led off with a triple and scored on Jon Nelson's bouncer to the right side. Josh Ellison added an RBI single after Nate Sevier relieved Nataneal Mateo, but the Storm escaped a first-and-third situation when center fielder Steve Baker made a shoestring catch of Michael Garciaparra's sinking fly ball.

Dale Thayer worked out of trouble with two runners in scoring position and one out in the ninth, earning his eighth save.

Storm Watch

Reliever Roger Deago was promoted to Triple-A Portland (Ore.). Right-handed reliever Aaron Coonrod will move from Low Class A Fort Wayne (Ind.) to Lake Elsinore today.