By Jordan Kimball, Beat Writer
Menlo Park didn’t score. It hardly even threatened. Most nights, the Stompers’ pitchers need run support. CCL games have been high-scoring affairs. On Tuesday, Devon Laguinto was in his own league.
He was ahead in counts. He painted the zone. He worked each inning like clockwork, and the Legends never settled in. Following a game on Sunday that was filled with many storylines, Tuesday’s matchup at College of San Mateo had just one: Laguinto’s outing.
In his complete game shutout Tuesday, Devon Laguinto surrendered just three hits and struck out 10 batters.
Fueled by a complete game shutout — Sonoma’s first of the season — the Stompers (18-11, 15-9 CCL) defeated Menlo Park 2-0. Runs were scarce on both sides, but Laguinto didn’t care. With him on the mound, there was no way Sonoma would lose.
“Just being aggressive out there. I had command in my fastball. I could trust all my stuff,” Laguinto said postgame. “The slider was slipping out a bit early, but I got that dialed in.”
CCL play started almost as poorly as possible for Laguinto. On June 4 — his first start in league play — Laguinto surrendered three runs on five hits. He walked just one batter, but the Blues hit .417 off of him. The result was a tight 4-3 defeat for the Stompers, which Laguinto earned the loss in.
Following the contest, he visibly expressed frustration. Sonoma’s offense was outhit. Its defense made more errors than San Luis Obispo. Its bullpen allowed SLO to score one more run — the eventual game-winner. But Laguinto still took the blame.
At the time, Laguinto was in the transfer portal. Stompers right fielder Brady Shannon called the portal “a very dark place.” A place “where you wanna get in and get out as quickly as you can.” Maybe Laguinto was feeling the effects of the uncertainty. Perhaps it was just an off day.
Either way, Laguinto’s squad lost, and he was supposed to give his team a chance to win. So his next start, he did. It was a five-inning performance from the right-handed pitcher. He allowed just two runs and struck out eight. Sonoma’s offense came alive, and the factors blended into a 7-5 victory.
Since then, it’s been an uphill climb for Laguinto. He’s shown potential, with a six-inning, two-run outing against the Blues on June 18. He’s also faltered, giving up five runs in three innings in a 10-1 loss to the Crawdads on June 25.
On Tuesday, Laguinto’s best version emerged. Before the game, he found a home. Laguinto announced his commitment to San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California. With his name officially on a roster, Laguinto was calm.
“It definitely took a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Laguinto said. “I didn’t know where I was gonna go this fall semester, but everything’s now lifted off.”
In the first inning, Laguinto struck out one batter but hit James Bose. Bose was stranded at first, which ended up as one of the Legends’ best chances.
The next inning, Will Anderson led off with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and then 90 feet more on a sacrifice. Anderson remained on third, though, with Emilio Feliciano striking out on four pitches before Ryan Cartwright was put away in three.
Through two innings, Laguinto had punched out three hitters, yet Sonoma’s offense stayed silent. In the third, the Legends were retired in order. Same with the fourth.
In the top half of that inning, the Stompers finally opened the scoring. Nic Sebastiani began the frame with a single and got to second on a stolen base. A McCann Libby base hit brought Sebastiani in, and Libby then crossed home when Trent Keys singled.
A two-run inning was good. On a regular night, it may have kept Sonoma ahead for an inning or two. On Tuesday, it was enough for the game.
The fifth saw Feliciano threaten when he was hit by a pitch. He tested Luke Duncan’s arm, though, and was caught stealing second base. In the sixth, Bose was also beaned. He went nowhere.
The seventh and eighth innings contained more Laguinto dominance. He earned strikeout No. 6 to close the former — sitting Gavin Shaddix on three pitches — and cruised through the latter with two more Ks.
Laguinto closed the eighth with 85 pitches. Sonoma’s lead wasn’t much, but it would only be right for Laguinto to finish what he started.
“I knew he wanted the ball. I was gonna try and talk him out of it, and he wouldn’t let me,” Stompers manager Zack Pace said postgame. “It’s tough to take him out in that situation. It’s his ballgame.”
Bose opened the ninth with a single. Pace considered replacing Laguinto with a new arm, he said. But he kept the workhorse in. After Mitchell Birdsall’s at-bat started with a 2-0 count, Laguinto set him away on four more pitches. Dane Most went down on a fielder’s choice. And Laguinto capped the masterful performance with a four-pitch punchout of Anderson.
“He just got into that rhythm and started filling up that zone,” Pace said. “Really overpowering with his strike throwing… and he did a really good job.”