Back and forth they went on a Friday night at Albert Park. There was no margin for error as the Stompers battled the Pacifics for their first ever Pacific Association championship. Friday’s battle was a fitting exclamation point to a record-?breaking season as the Stomper bullpen held the line in a 5-4 win over San Rafael to clinch the franchises’ first Pacific Association Championship.
The Stomper bullpen pitched 5 1/3 innings scoreless innings in relief of Oliver Garcia to set the tone for the Stompers victory. Ryan Richardson pitched 3 1/3 scoreless striking out three batters. Richardson allowed only one base runner and retired eight in a row during one stretch.
Adam Ogburn and Jose Flores polished things off in the final two innings to give the Stompers the victory. Flores struck out Brent Gillespie with the bases loaded to record the final out of the game. It was a fitting exclamation point to a second half that saw Sonoma fight back from adversity.
At one point, Sonoma was 7-10 in the second half and searching for answers. Manager Takashi Miyoshi challenged the team. It was not a despite cry for them to play better, but a challenge to play the way he knew they were capable.
“I never had a doubt about my 23 guys, and knew that they were focused on winning,” said Miyoshi. “Ever since we lost in the championship game last year, I thought about bringing a championship back to Sonoma. Doing that would mean making history. I am so happy we made our fans happy, and this title means a lot to me.”
Miyoshi led the Stompers to their first title in his first full season as manager. The Stompers won a franchise record 46 games in their third season of action. Miyoshi also became the first manager to win both the first and second half titles in the short history of the Pacific Association.
Friday, the Stomper offense battled back from an early two-run deficit in the third with a three-run inning. Scott David hit his fourth home run of the season to drive in two in the inning. David was two-for-four with four driven in on the night.
The success of the offense was key to their second half run. The Stompers hold a 17-5 mark in the month of August and the offense has scored in double digits in seven of those contests. Sonoma also defeated the defending champion Pacifics seven straight times in August. After three years, the Stompers were finally able to get over the hump.
“This is the most complete team we have had in Sonoma in the three years that we’ve been here. We have a core of players like Matt Hibbert, and Joel Carranza who have been here since the very beginning,” said General Manager Theo Fightmaster. “They had scar tissue from the near misses in years past and were galvanized that they would not leave anything to doubt this season. It is a really cool feeling to finally achieve the goal that we have been trying to get to for three years.”
When the final out was recorded Friday, it was far from silent at Albert Park as a large contingent of the Stompers faithful followed the team to San Rafael to witness the moment. The fans had supported the team through so much during the season, and were rewarded with a title Friday.
“Our fans made more noise on the road in an echoing ballpark than the locals did tonight and that is just the passion they bring to our ballpark every night,” said Fightmaster.
After the lights went out Friday, the celebration had just begun, and for good reason: they have made their mark on not only the franchise, but on the entire Sonoma community.
Saturday, there wasn’t a whole lot on the line in the game at Albert Park. Many of the normal starters weren’t in the lineup and three pitchers took the field on defense. Pitcher Erik Gonsalves also hit for himself as the Stompers took a 10-5 win over the Pacifics.
Not only did he pitch, but Gonzalves launched his first home run of the season in the sixth inning to give his team a three run cushion. All of the pitchers had eight RBIs combined. Jose Flores also doubled into deep left center field in the ninth to add on three insurance runs.
“That was some of the most fun I’ve had in my life. That’s what happens when a group of players have fun, good things happen,” said Gonsalves. “I took two steps out of the box and realized that it was going to go out. I will always remember the game tonight because I was able to hit my first home run as a professional.”
Sunday, after three months and 78 games, the 2016 season came to an end. This game had a much different feel than most games do as pitchers had the opportunity to get at bats on both sides. Players playing in their final games as professionals such as the Pacifics centerfielder Zack Pace also got a proper send off in their final game. The result on the field did not go the Stompers way in a 3-2 loss to the Pacifics.
The Stompers finished the season with a 47-31 record – six games ahead of the second-place Pacifics.
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