Stomper pitchers shine in back-to-back games

The Sonoma Stompers, behind two outstanding pitching performances in a row, took two of three games from the Vallejo Admirals this weekend.

Friday, the Stompers started the second half of the season losing 8-3 to the Admirals. But Saturday, Mike Jackson Jr. pitched a complete game as the Stompers won 3-1. Jackson scattered three hits, walked only one and struck out eight.

Sunday, Taylor Thurber matched Jackson’s complete game as he allowed six hits and struck out six on the way to a 14-1 Stomper drubbing of the Admirals.

Thurber has been outstanding since being moved into the rotation and much like he did in his other starting outings, he made sure to live up to the expectations set forth by the starter who preceded him.

In a stretch from the fourth to the eighth innings, Thurber retired 12 Admirals in a row. Thurber’s quick tempo kept the Admirals at bay as he induced a plethora of ground-ball outs. No Admirals hitter reached base more than once in the game, which allowed Sonoma’s offense to open up in the late innings to back up Thurber as the Stompers rolled to a series victory.

Sonoma’s offense exploded for 12 runs in the last four innings to blow the doors wide open at Wilson Park. Five Stompers hitters finished with multiple hits, and the Stompers had their second largest hit total (15) and run total (14) of the season. The big blow was in the seventh, when Sonoma scored five times, all with two outs.

Vallejo reliever Wilmer Florins walked the bases loaded to start the inning, and the Stompers made the Admirals pay. Two runs scored on a single by Daniel Baptista, and Cody Bishop followed later with another two-run single to cap off the inning. Vallejo shot themselves in the foot by allowing five walks, with the inning capper coming on a wild pitch.

Baptista, Derrick Fox and Yuki Yasuda all finished with three hits for the Stompers. Fox led the team with four runs driven in and finished three-for-five with three runs scored. Fox also hit his first homer of the season in the eighth on a ball to right just over the foul pole. Mark Hurley also got on the board with his third homer of the season in the ninth to put a bow on the offensive clinic.

Saturday, Jackson was as good as any Stomper pitcher has been all season in a complete game for the Stompers. Sonoma’s offense gave him just enough support to take the game 3-1. Jackson threw 95 pitches on the night with 67 of those pitches for strikes.

Sonoma’s lineup only mustered three hits themselves on the night, but were opportunistic as they scored just enough to get by the Admirals. Sonoma took advantage of an error by second baseman Alian Silva to load the bases with one out in the fifth. Yasuda got a two-out base hit to score Mason Morioka and Derrick Fox to make it 3-0. Sonoma got on the board in the first inning thanks to a wild pitch by Marquis Hutchinson as Matt Hibbert raced home from third base.

In a stretch from the end of the first to the fifth, Jackson Jr. retired 11 Admirals in a row. They only had five base runners total in the game.

Friday, the Admirals jumped on starter Stacy Piagno in the second and third innings as four earned runs came to the plate on her watch. Vallejo’s biggest inning was the third, as they scored four runs in all, as Piagno never got an out in the inning. Vallejo would tack on a few more against Gregory Paulino in relief and beat the Stompers by a final score of 8-3.

Sonoma’s offense could not consistently put at-bats together as no Stomper player finished with more than one hit in the contest. Two runs came on solo homers, the first by Carranza, and another by Mason Morioka in the seventh.

The Stompers (25-17) will head to Albert Park today, Tuesday to kick off a three game series against the San Rafael Pacifics (23-19). San Rafael was in the race for the first half pennant for the majority of the first half, but a stretch of five straight losses down the stretch sunk their chances. However, San Rafael has won the Pacific Association title the last two seasons, and has been a tough opponent for the Stompers. Sonoma has gone just 3-6 against the Pacifics in the first half.