By Jordan Kimball, Beat Writer
Few pitchers have solidified their spot in the Stompers’ rotation three weeks into the season. Jayden Harper’s started twice. Same with Nick Santivanez. And rounding out the trio is Devon Laguinto. On June 12, Laguinto willed Sonoma to a 7-5 win over the Merchants.
But before that matchup, his previous start was against San Luis Obispo, where he struggled tremendously. In three innings, Laguinto allowed three runs on five hits. He walked a batter and exited the game with zero strikeouts. The Blues hit .417 off him, raising his ERA to 9.00.
Since then, Laguinto’s ERA has dropped to 3.21, largely because of his revenge performance against SLO Wednesday. Laguinto went six innings, gave up zero earned runs and struck out four batters, fueling the Stompers’ (11-8, 8-6 CCL) 3-2 victory over the Blues.
“I was feeling it. I knew (my teammates) were gonna ride me. I had faith in my teammates. So we were all good from there,” Laguinto said postgame.
Laguinto was locked in from first pitch. After a back-and-forth battle the night before ended in a Sonoma loss, he became the X factor in securing the series split. He kept hitters off balance and runners quiet, stranding threats and walking off the mound inning after inning with a zero still on the board.
After the Stompers went down in order to open the game, Laguinto matched Blues starter Erik Kvidahl. He got Ethan Royal — Tuesday’s walk-off hero — to ground out. Cade O’Hara and Mason Ashlock were also set down to complete the first. The right-handed pitcher’s dominance was showcased again in the second, with another 1-2-3 inning.
In return, Sonoma’s bats woke up. After loading the bases with one out in the second but coming up empty, Colton Boardman started the third with a single. He advanced to third on an error by third baseman Brendan Comerford. Max Handron walked before McCann Libby, on Kvidahl’s second offering, launched a sacrifice fly to right field to score Boardman.
It was a low-scoring affair, but the Stompers’ early lead gave Laguinto just enough breathing room. After Eli Henderson singled, he was gunned down at second by backstop Connor Pawlowski. Sebastian Lopez went down swinging, and Charles Caruso grounded out to Boardman, wrapping up yet another scoreless frame.
Sonoma’s lead then began to grow. Two straight walks put Anthony Scheppler and Ben Sebastiani on first and second. Handron and Libby then followed with an RBI single each, scoring Scheppler and Sebastiani.
“Libby’s the RBI guy. Those guys come through clutch. Max is one of our best hitters, if not the best,” Stompers manager Zack Pace said postgame. “They’re up there in the order for a reason, because they do produce. They do a good job.”
In the bottom half, Laguinto pitched his fourth straight 1-2-3 inning. Each out came with authority, the kind that made the Blues search for undetectable answers. He punched out two batters in the frame, picking up strikeouts No. 3 and 4.
While that was all the batters Laguinto would retire on strikes, he found other ways to get outs. He allowed a single in the fifth, but behind him, Sonoma’s defense produced a 6-3 double play. In the sixth, he finally reached trouble but escaped the jam with the Stompers still in front.
Lopez reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to third after a Boardman error. Caruso moved into scoring position on the same play, and Royal brought them both home with a single. But Laguinto’s final outs — on five combined pitches to retire O’Hara and Ashlock — ended the inning on a high note.
“Really proud of the way (Laguinto) pitched today. He did an outstanding job,” Pace said. “Had those hitters on defense mode. He was just pound, pound, pound.”
Laguinto came out for a seventh frame, but he struggled by allowing two singles. Though Harun Pelja — who started on June 13 and pitched four innings against the Legends — cleaned up Laguinto’s mess, striking out Comerford before showing off a masterclass with runners on base. He picked off Donovan Jordan at second and caught Andrew Rayment stealing soon after.
Pelja pitched a scoreless eighth, and while the Stompers’ bats stayed quiet, Braden Guentz earned his first save of the season with two strikeouts in the ninth.
“It’s a long year and it’s a grind,” Pace said. “But that’s baseball… you do the best you can, try to get some rest and be ready to go.”
Sonoma returns home to face the Filipino National Team on Thursday, with first pitch set for 6:05 p.m.