LAKE ELSINORE - The Storm broke out the big bats to batter Bakersfield and, in the process, ruined Mike Bumstead's homecoming.

Lake Elsinore used the long ball - including two grand slams - to score its first nine runs in an 11-7 win over the Blaze at The Diamond on Wednesday.

"It's nice to get an early lead like that, but it got a little too close for comfort at the end," Storm manager Carlos Lezcano said. "We need to be better in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. That's been our thing all year. We have to be better if we want to win a championship."

Blaze starter Bumstead (1-1), a Big Bear native, spent the first five years of his pro career in the Padres organization and pitched all or parts of four seasons with the Storm. The right-hander didn't make it out of the third inning Wednesday and was charged with nine runs (eight earned) on seven hits and two walks in two-plus innings.

Sean Kazmar started the onslaught with a solo home run - his third of the season with the Storm - over the left-field wall in the top of the first.

With the bases loaded in the second, Juan Ciriaco, in his first start after a stint on the DL because of back problems, belted a hanging slider over the left-field fence for his eighth Cal League homer of the season.

"I wasn't trying to hit a home run," Ciriaco said. "I was trying to hit the ball hard and get it in the air to get the guy in from third."

The Storm (69-60 overall, 32-27 second half) loaded the bases again in the third, and Seth Johnston lined a 1-0 pitch just over the left-field wall and just inside the foul pole for his seventh homer of the year and the Storm's league-high 12th grand slam of the season, giving Lake Elsinore a 9-3 lead.

Starter Orlando Lara (1-0), who joined the Storm on Wednesday after spending most of the season with Diablos Rojos de Mexico in the Mexican League, threw five solid innings in his Storm debut, holding the Blaze (54-74, 25-33) to three runs on three hits and three walks while striking out 7.

"(Lara) struggled with his curve ball early on," Lezcano said. "They weren't getting good swings on his fastball, so we told him to use that more. Then he located his curve ball better.

"Five innings with three runs after we scored all those runs - that's nice."

Bakersfield left fielder Nick Cadena hit a pair of solo homers as the Storm bullpen gave up four runs over the final three innings.

- Staff writer Ed Wehde can be reached at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2633 or ewehde@californian.com.