Lake Elsinore Storm Rout San Jose 13-2 to Win 2026 California League Championship

The Lake Elsinore Storm turned a winner-take-all Game 3 into a showcase for one of baseball’s deepest young farm groups, routing the San Jose Giants 13-2 at Excite Ballpark to win the 2026 California League championship.

The Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres rebounded from being no-hit in Game 2 and produced 13 runs on 13 hits in the decider. The title is Lake Elsinore’s first since 2022 and the second championship won by a Padres affiliate this season.

Contrades and Lott drive the Storm offense

Nu’u Contrades opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning and finished 2-for-4 with three RBI. Qrey Lott went 3-for-4 and was at the center of another aggressive night for a Lake Elsinore team built around pressure on the bases.

That identity had defined the Storm all season. Lake Elsinore stole a Minor League-best 357 bases in 131 regular-season games at an 80.4 percent success rate, the second-highest single-season total in the Minors since 2005.

The Storm led 5-1 after four innings before breaking the game open with four runs in the sixth. Contrades delivered a two-run double during the rally, while Lott doubled home another run.

Padres prospects take over the deciding game

Lake Elsinore’s late-season roster included 12 members of the Padres’ Top 30 prospects, and several of them made a direct impact in the championship game.

2026 first-round pick Coleman Borthwick started and threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Right-hander Lan-Hong Su followed with three innings of one-run baseball and struck out eight, generating 14 swings and misses.

Su’s finish was particularly notable after a difficult introduction to Single-A earlier in the summer. The 19-year-old Taiwanese right-hander closed the year by allowing two runs or fewer in nine of his final 10 appearances.

The Storm also received immediate postseason production from their 2026 draft class. Contrades, a sixth-round pick, homered in the clincher, while Alex Conover entered Game 3 hitting .389 with a 1.145 postseason OPS.

From a no-hitter to a championship

The decisive win came less than 24 hours after San Jose pitching held Lake Elsinore without a hit in a 9-1 Game 2 victory that tied the best-of-three series.

Rather than allowing that loss to carry into the finale, the Storm scored in six different innings and never trailed. Sean Fitzpatrick recorded the final out with a strikeout to complete the championship run.

Lake Elsinore’s title also underlined the depth currently moving through the Padres system. Four of San Diego’s top five prospects appeared for the Storm during the California League Finals, while the championship became the organization’s second Minor League crown of 2026 after DSL Padres Gold won its second consecutive DSL Cup in August.