Sonoma Stompers bats come alive in sweep of Vallejo Admirals

The Sonoma Stompers’ bats answered the challenge last weekend by putting together three great performances at the plate, outscoring the Vallejo Admirals 30-10 in successive games, sparked by the Pride Night 11-1 victory on Friday night. It marked a big and welcome turnaround for the Pacific Association team, which had appeared wan at the plate in previous meets.

For the second straight season Sean Conroy got the start on Pride Night, and like last year delivered with a gem to remember. Conroy made history last season becoming the first active professional baseball player to come out as being gay. He did not disappoint Friday and was dominant in his eight innings of work. Conroy allowed only one run on three hits with five strikeouts. Conroy’s slider was exceptional with its late movement and precise command.

The Stompers bats came to life in the second inning following a walk to Ethan Szabo, and a single by Mason Morioka to set Sonoma up for a little two-out magic. Eddie Mora-Loera stepped up to the plate next and launched a line drive shot into the left field bleachers for a three run home run and Sonoma never looked back.

Mora-Loera’s homer was only the beginning for the offense as they put runs on the board in four straight innings from the second through the fifth. The power surge for the offense continued as their first eight runs came via the home run. Mason Morioka, Joel Carranza, and Caleb Bryson hit home runs in those frames. Bryson’s homer in the fourth was the highlight as he hit a moon shot to left that might still be going.

Conroy’s ability to pitch so well on Pride Night goes far outside the lines of sport. He put an entire community on his shoulders, and showed great character by pitching at his best in the situation. Conroy was humbled by the reception he received from the fans.

“For our fans to come out and show their support for me tonight like they did last year was so rewarding and I felt blessed. They gave me the motivation I needed to perform well,” said Conroy.

Saturday night the offense was rolling from the start as they jumped to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Two straight RBI doubles by Derrick Fox and Joel Carranza were the highlights of the inning. Mason Morioka also chipped in with an RBI single to put Sonoma in the driver’s seat.

Starter Jose Flores turned in his best effort of the season by far on his way to his first win of the season for Sonoma. He had struggled in his previous two starts but looked like a different pitcher on Saturday as the big righty silenced any doubters by blowing away the Admiral lineup. Flores allowed only two runs on six hits with no walks while striking out nine batters in six innings.

Vallejo (7-10) made things a little interesting in the fourth as Lydell Moseby launched a two run bomb to left center field that silenced the home crowd and cut the Stomper lead to 3-2. However, that was the only blemish on Flores’ fantastic outing and he was untouchable for the rest of the night.

Sonoma’s offense gave Flores some more breathing room in the fifth with a four-run rally to put the game on ice, highlighted by a two-run homer by left fielder Mark Hurley, his first of the season. When the dust settled at the end of the inning Sonoma had a 7-2 lead. That would be plenty for Flores and ‘fireman’ Taylor Thurber.

On Sunday night, June 19, once again the big bats powered the Stompers to a 10-7 win, and a series sweep over the Admirals at People’s Home Equity Ballpark at Arnold Field. The Stompers (10-7) did a great job of getting off on the right foot early in games during this series and Sunday night was no exception. Sonoma’s offense put together a four-run rally in the first. Hurley came up big again with a two-run double in the inning that went off the wall in right field.

Vallejo’s offense kept things interesting in the seventh with a two-run rally that cut the lead to 7-6. However, Caleb Bryson had an answer as he launched a home run to left field to give Sonoma a two run lead.

Bryson had one of his best nights at the plate this season as he finished a perfect 3-for-3 in the game. He also had two walks, three runs scored, and two RBIs. He reached base in all five of his plate appearances. He showed in this performance that he has all the tools to be a great hitter in the Pacific Association. Having the ability to hit the long ball is always a luxury, but what sets Bryson apart is his ability to be patient.

Starter Garcia had strikeout stuff again in his 5 2/3 innings of work and finished with 7 strikeouts. He allowed 10 hits, and three earned runs in the game and did enough to earn the victory (1-0). Juan Espinosa pitched in relief and earned a save by pitching the final 3 1/3 innings of the game. He allowed three earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts.

Sonoma will now hit the road for a long nine-game slate to face all three teams in the Pacific Association. Sonoma will make their third trip of the season to Pittsburg to start the road trip off against the Diamonds on Tuesday. They are an even 3-3 in games played against them so far. Gregory Paulino is scheduled to get the start Tuesday and he has not faced Pittsburg yet this season. The Diamonds will be licking their wounds after getting swept by the San Rafael Pacifics over the weekend.

Tickets for all Stompers home games are available on stompersbaseball.com or at The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa St. in Sonoma.