Big bats, sharp hurlers build 5-game win streak for Sonoma Stompers

Once again the red-hot Sonoma Stompers didn’t let deficits put them down, coming back twice to top the Vallejo Admirals 7-5 Wednesday night, and help pitcher Juan Espinosa pick up his first win of the season.

The win made it a two-game sweep over the Admirals, following a three home run barrage that defeated the defending league champions 9-7 the day before.

Making his eighth start of 2018 in the Wednesday game, Espinosa pitched six strong innings, allowing three earned runs on one walk and six strikeouts.

He pitched with a lead almost immediately after Marcus Bradley scored on a wild pitch in the first inning.

Despite Vallejo taking the lead in the top of the fifth, Sonoma countered quickly in the bottom of the frame with two runs to even the score at three. Celebrating his 26th birthday, Miles Williams crushed his team-leading 14th home run of the season to right field, scoring Rayson Romero, who turned 23 Wednesday.

“I’m seeing good pitches, trying to touch the baseball,” Williams said. “It’s contagious when your teammates are constantly taking great at-bats, it helps you with your hitting plan too.”

Romero had good states without recording an official at-bat in the game, drawing three walks and bringing in a run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

After the birthday boys brought the score back even, the Admirals took another lead in the sixth, but the Stompers just as quickly countered, with Kam Stewart driving in Daniel Comstock, then scoring on a wild pitch to put the Stompers ahead again in the bottom half.

Two more insurance runs in the eighth proved helpful as Vallejo scored a run in the ninth that otherwise would have tied the game. Instead, Jacob Cox locked down his 14th save of the season – more than double the number of the next closest league pitcher – and the Stompers held on to win 7-5.

Tuesday night’s game followed a day off on Monday, but the bats weren’t rusty as three boomers led the Stompers to a 9-7 victory.

Williams connected for a solo shot that led off the frame. Rob DeAngelis and Comstock doubled back-to-back to bring in another run, and after Kenny Meimerstorf walked, Kevin Farley hit his third home run of the season, giving Sonoma a 5-4 advantage.

The fireworks weren’t over: as Stewart launched his sixth homer of the season to left field in the fifth inning, a three-run shot that furthered Sonoma’s lead and put the game firmly out of reach for Vallejo.

Sonoma’s Vijay Patel recorded five strikeouts and retired his first 10 batters working into the fourth. But he struggled in that inning, loading the bases and giving up a grand slam that gave Vallejo a lead. Then he settled down to retire the next seven batters, and eight of following nine.

“I had control of my fastball on both sides of the plate, that was really helpful,” Patel said. “I also had my slider working, so that was helpful to have a little bit of lateral movement. And great defense behind me, great bats behind me too.”

There were some defensive highlights as well. With former Oakland Athletics outfielder Eric Byrnes in attendance, Sonoma center fielder Marcus Bradley made a catch reminiscent of many of those Byrnes made with the A’s, going into a leaping dive in left-center to record an out in the second inning.

Kenny Matthews and Jacob Cox combined for 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen as Sonoma held on in the ninth to win 9-7 and Cox picked up his the save.

With two consecutive series sweeps under their belt, Sonoma hopes to make it three in a row and add on to its five-game winning streak as the Pittsburg Diamonds come to Sonoma Thursday (results too late for press time) and Friday. The then team heads to Vallejo for a two-game rematch with the Admirals over the weekend.

To purchase Stompers tickets and find out more, visit stompersbaseball.com.