Baseball Dragons stumble twice

The Petaluma Trojans spoiled the league opener Friday for the Sonoma Valley High baseball Dragons.

The Dragons were supposed to open league play Tuesday, but their game against Healdsburg got washed out.

Friday, the Trojans got on the board early, and while the Dragons momentarily tied the game, Petaluma kept pushing runs across and left with an 8-2 win.

In the first inning, the first two Petaluma hitters reached base as the leadoff hitter singled, stole second and came home on a double. The batter who doubled later came home on a wild pitch and the Trojans had a quick 2-0 lead.

But the Dragons answered as Tucker Pierce, leading off the bottom of the first, coaxed a walk, stole second and came home on Max Handron’s double. Handron advanced to third when Jeremy Mackling flied out to right and came home on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-2.

The Dragons had two runners on in the second as both Austin Arrington and Mat Norrbom walked, but Sonoma couldn’t plate either of them.

Petaluma took a 4-2 lead in the top of the third with a two-run homer that cleared the 345-foot sign in right-center field.

In the bottom of the third, Mackling singled and stole second, but that was as far as he got.

The Trojans broke the game open in the top of the fifth as they pushed four more runs across on three singles, a walk, a hit batter and a fielder’s choice to take an 8-2 lead. The Dragons were staring at a six-run deficit and they were running out of outs.

Sonoma went down in order in their half of the fifth. In the sixth, Mackling, who was leading off, walked, stole second and was balked to third. But the Dragons couldn’t get him home.

The Dragons went down in order again in the bottom of the seventh and fell 8-2.

Saturday, the Dragons played a non-conference make-up game against Maria Carrillo that had been postponed by rain the previous Saturday.

The Pumas put five runs up in the first inning and another two in the second and beat the Dragons 9-3.

The two losses leave the Dragons with a 4-6 overall record and an 0-1 Sonoma County League record.

Sonoma is back in action tonight, Tuesday, March 27, when they host Analy at Arnold Field. Game time is 7 p.m. Friday, the Dragons travel to El Molino for a 4 p.m. game.