Sonoma Stompers winning streak ends over rough weekend

The Sonoma Stompers’ winning streak to open the 2017 Pacific Association season ended last Thursday night, and two more tough losses over the weekend brings them to Sonoma with a 6-3 record for Tuesday’s home opener.

They took a hard-fought 6-8 loss to the Vallejo Admirals on June 8, falling one win short of matching the 2015 Stompers’ record 6-0 start.

The win Thursday took some grit as the lead changed six times on a damp, cloud-covered night at Wilson Park in Vallejo. A two-out, three-run wave of Admirals runs in the seventh inning proved to be the difference.

“We kept stringing good at-bats together, we kept fighting and I think that says a lot about our team,” said catcher Daniel Comstock. “We kept falling, but we kept getting back up.”

One bright spot was Comstock’s own first home run as a professional, which came in the second inning after Admirals starter David Dinelli walked two, then gave up the three-run home run to Comstock, which put Sonoma up 3-1.

“Rounding the bases never gets old,” said Comstock. “It’s kind of an indescribable feeling.”

But the Stompers went into San Rafael with a 5-1 record, still atop the league. They fought long and hard with their rivals and used a five-run ninth inning to pull away and take game one of their weekend series from the Pacifics, 11-6.

Highlights included a pinch-hit home run from Scott David, his first of the season, in the seventh inning to put the game out of reach for the Pacifics, who at that point sported a disappointing 1-5 record.

But the Pacifics turned the momentum over the next two games, winning both to hand the Stompers their first series loss this year. Friday night the Sonoma team fell behind early and never recovered, as the Pacifics jumped all over starter Pat Lemmo for 12 runs in the first five innings, handing Sonoma a 14-4 loss and leveling the weekend series.

Sonoma’s offense couldn’t figure out the Pacific’s James McReynolds, who cruised through seven innings and allowed only six baserunners (five hits and a walk) while striking out 12. Sonoma did manage four extra-base hits, including David’s second homer in as many nights and the first home run on the season for Joel Carranza.

The 2016 MVP now has 45 home runs during his four seasons with the Stompers, putting him one behind Mike Taylor for the all-time lead in homers in the Pacific Association.

The two high-scoring games set the stage for a nail-biter on Sunday, with starting pitcher Scott Plaza for the Stompers holding the Pacifics to just one run on three hits over seven innings. In one stretch from the third inning to the fifth, Plaza retired nine of the ten batters that he faced.

However, the Stompers offense was unable to take advantage of the opportunities that were presented to them thanks to errors and walks. They stranded a total of 13 runners on base in the game, and left the bases loaded in both the first and sixth innings.

With the game and the series hanging in the balance, the teams were tied heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. The Pacifics were able to get a clutch hit in the inning and won by a final score of 2-1.

Despite the loss, the Stompers finished the long nine-game road trip with a record of 6-3, still atop the Pacific Association standings. Sonoma will return home Tuesday for their first game at Peoples Home Equity Ballpark at Arnold Field.