ED WEHDE

Staff Writer

LAKE ELSINORE -- All season, Lake Elsinore Storm manager Craig Colbert has stressed that the team that makes the fewest mistakes will prevail in the playoffs.

Saturday night at The Diamond, the High Desert Mavericks and the Storm each made one error in their opening game of their California League Southern Divisional Championship Series. But Lake Elsinore worked around its error and then scored on High Deserts' and pulled out a 3-1 win to take a one-game lead in the best-of-five series.

"The guys who've been with me for two years understand that these games are going to be close," Colbert said. "Our pitchers are going to keep us in it if we don't make mistakes."

Storm starter Jake Peavy did more than keep the Storm in the game. He was brilliant, mixing a fastball that reached 97 mph with effective breaking stuff.

The right-hander allowed just one run in six innings, while striking out 10 without issuing a walk.

"I had 12 days off so I didn't feel like I had that good stuff," Peavy said. "I used all four (pitches) tonight. I didn't have command of anything and I wasn't as sharp as I wanted and those nights you have to battle."

Peavy turned the ball over to the bullpen which was equally effective. Chris Oxspring came in to start the seventh and allowed only one base runner -- Christian Guerrero who reached on a Jason Moore error. But Guerrero was thrown out trying to steal second by Storm catcher Ben Risinger.

Bryan Gaal threw a perfect eighth and Andy Shibilo pitched a one-two-three ninth to get the save.

"Those guys have been great," Peavy said of the bullpen. "That's what you have to do to win ballgames. You have to get good starting pitching and good bullpen and we scored just enough runs to get it done."

The Mavericks starter, Luis Martinez, was almost as impressive, holding the Storm to two runs on four hits, and striking out nine. However, Martinez walked four, including Todd Donovan twice, and both times the Storm leadoff batter scored.

Donovan got the Storm going in the bottom of the first with a base on balls. He went to second on Vince Faison's single and scored on two wild pitches.

Donovan walked again starting the third, then took off for second when he was picked off first. Martinez threw wild to first for an error, and Donovan raced all the way around to score.

The Mavericks cut the lead in half with a run off Peavy in the sixth. With one out, Dave Krynzel singled and stole second. One out later, Steve Scarborough hit a grounder up the middle, and shortstop Luis Lorenana made a diving stop.

Krynzel didn't hesitate at third and headed home. Lorenzana threw home and would have pegged Krynzel, but Peavy cut off the throw and Krynzel slid in just ahead of Peavy's relay.

The Storm added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Xavier Nady doubled and moved to third on Ben Johnson's infield out. After Jason Moore walked, Ben Risinger laid down a bunt that barely got up the third baseline.

Catcher Joel Alvarado grabbed the ball and attempted to tag Nady as he was going by. But Nady circumnavigated the tag attempt and caught the corner of the plate with his outstretched hand.

"To get that third run was big," Colbert said. "Great play by Rise. He caught the guy at third napping. That's twice in the last couple weeks he's done that."

Ed Wehde can be reached at (909) 676-4315 ext. 2633 or ewehde@nctimes.com

9/9/01