Sonoma Stompers split series with Martinez

After the Sonoma Stompers’ best offensive weekend of the season unfolded in Vallejo, with 11-5 and 13-12 wins, their bats fell silent Tuesday against the Martinez Clippers, who shut out the Stompers for the first time this season, 2-0.

Not to be deterred, the next night found the Stompers on the top side of an 8-0 win over the Clippers, behind Ethan Gibbons’ best start of the season, marked by a record-tying 12 strikeouts.

Tuesday’s loss was especially a shame, because Juan Espinosa made possibly his best start so far in 2018, but the lack of run support caused him to take his first loss of the year.

Six hits over the first two innings resulted in two Clippers runs, but Espinosa held Martinez silent after the second with five shutout innings over his final five innings. The right-hander did not walk a batter in seven innings and struck out six.

Ryan Richardson’s perfect eighth inning was enough to keep Sonoma in the ballgame, but the Stompers could only manage four hits in the game, none of which translated to runs.

Mitchell Ho and Marcus Bradley singled in the fifth, then Daniel Comstock and Kenny Meimerstorf reached base in the eighth with hits, but that was all the team could muster in nine innings.

Bradley’s single extended his hit streak to five games, the longest active such streak for Stompers hitters. Comstock’s stretch of 13 straight games with a hit earlier this year is still the longest this season, however the catcher has reached base in 42 consecutive games with his single.

Comstock got on base the next night as well with a fourth-inning double, then scoring on a homer by Meimerstorf, his 15th of the season. Those two runs proved the winning margin, but the Stompers were far from finished.

Williams singled home Bradley in the sixth, then Sonoma added insurance with five runs in the ninth inning on five walks to score five runs to stretch their lead to 8-0.

But the story of the game was Ethan Gibbons. Making his 10th start of the season. He dominated all night long, allowing just five hits and one walk while striking out 12 batters. For the first time this year, Gibbons pitched eight full innings, issuing his only walk of the game in his final inning of work.

“I’m glad we were able to get the shutout and get the win,” Gibbons said. “Today I finally found my changeup.It’s the last pitch that comes when you’re getting back into a season, and today I was able to find that, and able to throw my fastball too, and it worked well for me.”

The strikeout total tied the Stompers record for strikeouts in a game by one pitcher, a mark that had been met five previous times, most recently by 2017 Pacific Association Pitcher of the Year Tyler Garkow on July 14, 2017.

Now 31-17 on the season and winners of 14 of their last 18 games, the Stompers look to stay hot as they take on the Napa Silverados for two road games beginning Thursday (results not available at press time), followed by a two-game series against the Pittsburg Diamonds at Palooza Park, Arnold Field this weekend.

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