After defeating the Pittsburg Diamonds 8-0 on Thursday at home with one of their best all-around wins of 2015, the Stompers saw their trip to Vallejo this past weekend as a chance to prepare for a final week of the regular season. It could have determined whether or not they could go wire-to-wire for the Pacific Association championship, claiming first place in both halves of the season.
Instead, it turned out to be their most disastrous road trip of the season. Facing the 9-21 Admirals, the Stompers were swept out of Wilson Park over the weekend and fell six games behind San Rafael in the second-half standings. With only six games remaining, it all but guarantees that Sonoma will have a playoff game with the Pacifics on Aug. 31.
In all three games against the resilient Vallejo team, the Stompers were in the game early only to see the Admirals pull away. They lost the opener 9-3 on Friday night, then saw a tied game get broken open in the seventh on Saturday in a 9-4 loss. Sunday’s game was all Admirals after a 3-3 tie in the third, as Vallejo rode a big day from PJ Phillips to a 13-4 rout to complete the sweep.
With the three losses, Sonoma fell to 16-17 in the second half, the first time they have been under .500 in either half in 2015. They have now lost nine out of their last 12 games.
Friday’s game was the beginning of a familiar trend for the weekend: Early ties broken up by the Admirals. With a 1-1 game in the second, the Admirals scored three times off Eric Schwieger and two more times in the third to put the game away early.
On Saturday, it was more of a back-and-forth game in the middle innings, with the Stompers coming back to tie the game at 4-4 after Vallejo took a 4-2 lead in the sixth. Four more runs in the seventh by Vallejo was enough to pull away for good.
Sunday was a frustrating game all-around for the Stompers, as Admirals first baseman PJ Phillips went off with a four-hit day that included a three-run shot in the first off Gregory Paulino and a grand slam in a six-run eighth inning.
Sonoma got a good day from first baseman Kristian Gayday, who went 2-for-4 with a double and his own three-run homer, but once Vallejo broke a 3-3 tie with go-ahead runs in the third and fourth, Sonoma’s chances were far and few between.
The Stompers return home tonight to begin their final home series of 2015, where they will try and regroup to retain home field advantage for the likely Pacific Association championship game on Aug. 31. They’ll host the Pittsburg Diamonds for three games Aug. 25-27, with all games starting at 6:05 p.m.
For more information, call the Stompers at (707) 938-7277 or email the team at info@stompersbaseball.com.
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