Sonoma's baseball Dragons pound El Molino

The Sonoma Valley High baseball Dragons got a three-hit complete game out of starting pitcher senior Carson Snyder Tuesday, and beat El Molino 11-1 in a game that was halted in the sixth because of the 10-run rule.

Both the Dragons and the Lions started slowly. Neither team could score through the first three innings.

The Lions pushed a run across in the top of the fourth to take a 1-0 lead.

Sonoma’s bats finally came alive in the fifth when they scored four times to take a 4-1 lead. Sophomore Tucker Pierce led off the inning with a long and loud double. Junior Anthony Costanzo laid down a sacrifice bunt that the first baseman bobbled, but Pierce didn’t advance to third.

When senior Ethan Vitale also laid down a sacrifice, El Molino made the play on Pierce at third allowing Vitale to reach. After a passed ball put runners at second and third, sophomore Max Handron singled in Costanzo and senior Japhy Koch who was running for Vitale. Snyder doubled in another run and junior Dylan Samaniego singled in Snyder. And the Dragons had a 4-1 lead.

In the sixth, the first eight Dragon batters reached base. Pierce led off with an infield single, Costanzo was safe at first on a sacrifice, Koch tried to sacrifice and was safe on an error that allowed Pierce to score, Handron singled scoring CostanzoKoch scored on a passed ball, Snyder, senior Shane O’Malley and senior Colton Mertens all walked driving in another run.

The game ended when Pierce, at bat for the second time in the inning, singled scoring Mertens and giving the Dragons an 11-1 win.

Sonoma was coming off losses to two tough SCL opponents – Petaluma and Analy – and needed to get back into the win column.

Handron was four-for-four with three RBIs, Pierce was three-for-four with a double and an RBI and Snyder, in addition to pitching a complete game, was two-for-three with a double and an RBI.

The win gives the Dragons a 6-7 overall mark and a 1-2 Sonoma County League mark.

Sonoma hosts Elsie Allen today, Friday, at 7 p.m. at Arnold Field. Tuesday, the Dragons travel to Piner for an afternoon game.