By Jordan Kimball, Beat Writer
After the Crawdads scored two runs in the eighth to tie the game at 5-5, the Stompers exploded for five runs in the ninth to regain the lead and seal the victory.
It was the ninth inning, and Sonoma’s momentum had vanished entirely. It held a 5-3 lead entering the eighth, but Heeryun Han surrendered his first two earned runs of the season, evening the score at five. The game’s fate was in the Crawdads’ hands.
However, before Walnut Creek could even attempt to take its first lead, the Stompers’ offense awoke. Facing Jackson State’s Micah Billings, Sonoma exploded for five ninth-inning runs. In the frame’s bottom half, Brandon Leon held it down, boosting the Stompers (26-15, 21-13 CCL) to a 10-5 win, which kept them in first place in the CCL North.
“Getting those contagious hits, backing up each other,” manager Zack Pace said postgame of what worked in that inning. “We did a really good job of taking quality at-bats, really getting us a good lead to win the game.”
Friday wasn’t Han’s night. He gave up two runs in the eighth inning and, despite batting leadoff for Sonoma, was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts heading into the ninth.
The Stompers needed momentum, and Max Handron provided it. With years of experience at UC Berkeley, Handron knows pressure, so though he didn’t record a hit against Walnut Creek, when he reached on an error after Han struck out, the floodgates opened.
A wild pitch advanced the third baseman to second, and he moved to third when Cam Hegamin also reached on an error. Paul Lizzul momentarily halted the rally when he was put away on four pitches, but there are few people Sonoma would then want up besides Connor Pawlowski.
Pawlowski leads the squad in two-out RBIs, and his at-bat in the ninth was an opportunity to add to that number. He fouled off two pitches before ripping a single to score Handron and move Hegamin to third.
“(Connor’s) been clutch for us all year,” Pace said. “He’s been our two-out RBI horse, and he did it again when we needed it.”
Anthony Scheppler walked, and another error plated Hegamin and Pawlowski. Ben Sebastiani then reached on an error to score Scheppler and Kieran Baker — making his first appearance since July 6 — singled to bring Trent Keys in. Han struck out again to end the inning, but the Stompers’ lead had ballooned.
Leon gave up two base hits in the bottom half, which brought in a run for Walnut Creek, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Sonoma’s high-scoring frame.
“Guys were excited. They were happy, pulling for each other,” Pace said of the energy in the dugout. “Everyone was really excited we were getting results.”
Leon’s lone inning reflected the overall pattern of the Stompers’ win. Shawn McBroom started on the mound with four scoreless innings before giving up two runs in the fifth. He was relieved by Andrew Valentine — a recent addition to the roster — who allowed one run over 1.1 innings. Lucas Alaniz, Han and Leon followed, combining to give up three runs across the final three frames.
But when the Crawdads jogged, Sonoma sprinted. It opened the scoring with a three-spot in the fourth. Handron scored on a sacrifice fly from Scheppler. Keys singled to score Lizzul, and Baker walked, which brought home Pawlowski. In the fifth, Lizzul homered to extend the Stompers’ lead.
He stayed hot two innings later with a double that drove in Hegamin, giving Sonoma its fifth run. The ninth inning sealed the victory.
With the Blues defeating the Merchants and the Stompers’ win over Walnut Creek, Sonoma remains in first place in the CCL North with just seven games to play.
“It was really a team effort. These guys did outstanding,” Pace said. “It was fun to watch and get everyone involved.”