Storm Lake bats erupt in 12-2 win over Le Mars

Storm Lake did not waste time turning Friday night at Tornado Field into a rout. The Tornadoes used a three-run third inning and a six-run fourth to beat Le Mars 12-2 in a nonconference game that ended by the 10-run rule.

The offense was balanced from top to bottom. Storm Lake finished with 10 hits, and Cael Phelps, Brock Edwards and Bobby Boeckman each had two. David Gonzalez-Santos, Trey Boettcher, Drew Hogrefe and Rylan Richardson added one hit apiece, keeping pressure on Le Mars throughout the game. Phelps drove in three runs, Gonzalez-Santos, Boeckman and Boettcher each drove in two, and Edwards added an RBI. Richardson scored three times, while Gonzalez-Santos, Hogrefe and Phelps crossed the plate twice.

That distribution mattered as much as the final score. Storm Lake was not leaning on one big swing or one isolated inning, but on repeated quality at-bats that forced Le Mars to keep making moves on the mound. Coach Michael Knapp said he was not expecting Le Mars to throw its ace after a string of conference games, and he said he was pleased with Storm Lake’s preparation and the way the lineup handled a strong pitcher. The Tornadoes carried that approach into the later innings, when the lead kept growing instead of shrinking.

Rylan Richardson backed the offense with five strong innings to earn the win. He allowed four hits and one earned run, walked two and struck out three, giving Storm Lake a steady start before the bullpen finished the job. The result came during a strong closing stretch for the Tornadoes, who had beaten Spencer 3-0 two days earlier to secure at least a share of the Lakes Conference baseball title and were sitting at 12-8 heading into district play.

That recent run has also included tougher nights, including a 3-2 loss to Algona and a 12-6 loss to Sergeant Bluff-Luton earlier in June, along with a 12-9 win over Spirit Lake after a six-run first inning. Against Le Mars, Storm Lake showed it could build offense in multiple innings, get production across the lineup and hold its edge against quality pitching as the Class 3A district tournament approached.