By Jordan Kimball, Beat Writer
The Stompers opened CCL play with their strongest start since joining the league in 2022. The reason is pitching.
Brady Shannon’s two-out two-RBI single in the sixth inning became the game-winner as Sonoma defeated Menlo Park 5-1.
Sonoma manager Zack Pace said on Friday that his squad has the best staff in the league. He knows that. His pitchers know that. And that confidence on the mound has translated to wins. There’s an energy in Sonoma that fuels destructive victories and aids in tight losses.
In the CCL North, the Stompers’ pitchers stack up well against just about anyone. Nick Santivanez and Jaxen Rowland lead the league in wins (three), Santivanez places second in strikeouts (22) and Devon Laguinto ranks third in ERA (4.77). But another piece of Sonoma’s core is David Howard, who hasn’t allowed a run since his first start on June 6.
Howard got the nod again Friday and helped the Stompers (15-11, 12-9 CCL) get back on track with a 5-1 win over the Legends. He surrendered just two hits in five innings, lowering his batting average against to .175, which ranks second on the team for qualified pitchers over 15 innings (Harun Pelja, .157).
“We’ve been going hard every day. They’ve been working their tails off,” Pace said postgame. “We took care of the ball and pitched pretty good.”
On June 14, Sonoma faced Menlo Park for its second game of a four-game series. The Stompers had scraped a win the night before on a Connor Pawlowski walk-off single. They had the momentum but quickly lost it when the Legends scored nine runs in the first five innings.
But even in a gloomy night, Howard provided Sonoma with a positive, striking out five batters in the final two innings. His performance was key, as the Stompers nearly mounted a comeback despite falling 9-8.
Howard had dominated that lineup, and he was out to do it again. Through three innings, Howard was sharp, allowing just one hit. Sonoma hadn’t scored yet, but the game remained a deadlock.
In the fourth, Menlo Park broke the scoring open, though. Dane Most singled and stood on second after an error by Paul Lizzul. Most pressured Howard by stealing third and later scored when Colton Boardman chose to get an out over the runner.
From there, it was all Sonoma. Howard’s day was done after the fifth with just 67 pitches. Rowland relieved him with two innings, while Brandon Leon and Braden Guentz pitched the final two.
Offensively, the Stompers got out front in the sixth with an explosive three-run inning. Landon Akers started things with a walk, and Pawlowski was hit by a pitch. But with two outs, the odds remained in Menlo Park’s favor. Nic Sebastiani then loaded the bases with another walk, bringing Brady Shannon to the plate.
Shannon was a highly touted recruit out of Ursuline High School (Ohio). He displayed power and speed, and while he was slumping as of late — going 0-for-7 in his last two games — Shannon delivered on Friday.
Akers first scored on a wild pitch. Then, Shannon ripped a single into right field to score Pawlowski and Sebastiani, giving Sonoma the lead.
“That’s just baseball, to be honest,” Shannon said postgame of overcoming his recent struggles. “You’re grinding every day, and body’s going through it. So, really just trying to stick it out and swing my way out of it. I just stuck to my (approach), and it worked out.”
Shannon’s base hit became the game-winner, but Boardman and Lizzul added insurance in the seventh and eighth innings to cap the win.
The Stompers will take on the CCL North-leading Crawdads on Saturday at Arnold Field, with Santivanez looking to lead Sonoma to victory once again.
“Excited to go to battle tomorrow. Hopefully, we can even up the week and even up our series against Walnut Creek,” Pace said.