The Ontario Tower Buzzers fell 6-1 to the Lake Elsinore Storm in Game 2 of the California League playoffs Thursday night. Lake Elsinore won the series two games to none, putting to bed a historic first season for Ontario.
Game 2 played out similarly to Game 1, with Ontario unable to capitalize with runners in scoring position. Outside of a nine-run ninth inning in Game 1, Ontario went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. On Thursday, the Tower Buzzers went 1-for-6 again and stranded seven runners on base.
Lake Elsinore received another strong performance from its starting pitcher. Kruz Schoolcraft earned the win after throwing five shutout innings, striking out eight and walking one.
Ontario managed just four hits, with no player recording more than one. The Tower Buzzers scored their only run in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Easton Shelton.
Batters 5 through 9 in the Ontario lineup went a combined 1-for-16, while the top four hitters went 3-for-15.
Ontario starting pitcher Luis Gamez failed to get out of the first inning, lasting just two-thirds of an inning. He walked three and allowed one earned run. It was an unusual outing for Gamez, marking his first decision loss of the season after entering with a 4-0 record and a 3.39 ERA. It was also just the second loss of his minor league career.
Despite the playoff loss, Ontario has plenty to celebrate.
In its debut season, the team claimed the California League South Division second-half championship with a 38-28 record, finishing 6 1/2 games ahead of the Inland Empire 66ers. Overall, the Tower Buzzers finished the 2026 season 71-61, representing the second-most wins in the league behind San Jose's 80.
Shelton enjoyed a historic campaign, setting single-season league records with 37 home runs and 112 RBIs.
Joendry Vargas led the team with 120 games played and a team-high 151 hits, including 34 doubles, six triples and 12 home runs. Ching-Hsien Ko added 21 home runs and 85 RBIs.
On the mound, Luis Carias led the pitching staff with a 7-3 record across 26 appearances, including six starts. Jholbran Herder served as the workhorse out of the bullpen, making 50 appearances and logging 64 innings pitched.
With the 2026 season concluded, the franchise's biggest success came off the field, as the city embraced its new team.
"There isn't a better place that I'd rather be," General Manager Allan Benavides said. "The amount of support that we get from the community, you can't compare it to any other team in the California League. The outpouring of support from our fans, who are in large part Dodger fans — they want to see this level of baseball in their backyard. They appreciate the effort that we've put in with the mascots, the promotion, the organ and the theme of the stadium. Seeing them gravitate to it and embrace it and call this team theirs, it's been romantic in so many ways."
Although the postseason ended early for manager John Shoemaker's squad, the season marked the beginning of another promising chapter for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.