Sonoma Stompers continue road trip

Return to Arnold Field Friday for a five-game home stand|

The Sonoma Stompers got trounced Sunday in the second game of their five-game road trip by the Pittsburg Diamonds, 13-4.

The Stompers got on the board in the top of the first when Marcus Bradley doubled and Daniel Comstock singled him home. But the lead didn’t last long as Pittsburg scored three runs in the bottom of the first.

Sonoma tied the game in the top of the second, but the Diamonds re-took the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the second. They added another in the third, five more in the fifth and two more in the seventh.

Saturday, the Stompers scored first against the San Rafael Pacifics and held the lead through the rest of the game in their 5-3 victory.

In his fourth start of 2018, Dominic Topoozian continued his successful season, throwing seven shutout innings to go along with seven strikeouts. Topoozian only allowed five hits and just one walk in his league-leading third win of the season.

“Today, my changeup really stood out for me, keeping the hitters off balance,” he said. “I’ve always been a good command guy, my thing is first pitch strikes, get the leadoff man out and have 15 pitches or less in an inning and as long as I’m doing those three things, the day is going to go by quick.”

Topoozian averaged 14 pitches an inning over his outing and in a stretch from the second to sixth innings, retired 13 straight Pacifics hitters. The right-hander was also backed with early run support when the Stompers scored four runs in the third inning.

Facing former Major League veteran J.P. Howell for the second time in eight days, Sonoma erupted for four hits in the inning, with Kenny Meimerstorf’s second grand slam in a week breaking what was at the time a 0-0 tie. For the Stompers left fielder, it was his second hit of the season off of Howell.

“I tried to just put a good swing on it and it went out, I was super pumped,” Meimerstof said. “It feels pretty cool to have a couple of hits off of an ex-big leaguer.”

Daniel Baptista’s fifth-inning solo home run, his second of the season increased the lead to 5-0 that stuck until the ninth inning.

D.J. Sharabi pitched a scoreless eighth inning, then after Vijay Patel allowed three runs in the bottom of the ninth, Jacob Cox induced a ground ball for the final out to earn his sixth save of the season.

Friday, looking to win three games in a row for the first time in 2018, the Sonoma Stompers welcomed the Martinez Clippers back for the second game of a two-game series, but could not complete the sweep as they fell 10-5.

The Sonoma offense erupted early as four hits and two walks produced four runs in the second. Meimerstorf and Miles Williams both doubled, then Mitchell Ho and Baptista singled. Kam Stewart also drew one of his three walks on the night with the bases loaded to plate a run.

Eddie Mora-Loera hit his second home run of the season in the ninth, but down by five runs, the lead was too much to climb back from.

The Stompers find themselves in third place in the Pacific Association with a 9-7 record. They’re a game-and-a-half in back of first-place Vallejo and a game back of second-place San Rafael.

The Stompers continue their week-long road trip tonight, Tuesday, June 19, when they open a two-game series at Vallejo. Thursday, the Stompers are at San Rafael before returning home Friday for a single game against Martinez, then a two-game series against Vallejo on Saturday and Sunday.

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