By Jordan Kimball, Beat Writer
With Augie Martinez making his first start for Sonoma, Anthony Scheppler recording three RBIs, Heeryun Han bidding farewell for the final time and Trent Keys walking it off in the 10th inning, the Stompers defeated the Tigers 7-6 on Thursday.
Before each home game, most Stompers players can be found in the bullpen. Almost none of them are pitchers; instead, they’re position players stretching and preparing for the contest ahead. At one end is a fence filled with Jaeger J-Bands. The other end often has players forming a circle with a hacky sack juggled in the middle.
Playing hacky sack has become more than a game. It’s a ritual players do to calm their nerves before the bright lights flicker. Ben and Nic Sebastiani are often seen kicking it around. Harun Pelja joins hours before first pitch. Trent Keys and Anthony Scheppler are no different.
The two have struggled at times across the summer. After starting hot with a .286 batting average and a nearly-.800 OPS, Scheppler’s numbers now sit at .182 and .590. For Keys, the statistics compare. His 18 hit-by-pitches pace the CCL, with Scheppler placing second (12). It’s boosted his OPS to above .700, but his average still reads .190.
Yet through it all, manager Zack Pace has stuck with the two. Keys has played in the second-most games and will soon pass Colton Boardman and McCann Libby to take the lead. Scheppler’s just two spots behind.
After arriving at Arnold Field at 1 p.m. every day, taking swings even when their names aren’t called and playing hacky sack in the bullpen in just shorts and a Dri-FIT T-shirt, the work finally paid off for the two on Thursday.
After Scheppler delivered two hits, three RBIs and a web gem that sent Sonoma into the bottom of the 10th still tied at six, Keys knocked him in shortly after to walk it off and give the Stompers (28-17, 22-15 CCL) a 7-6 win.
“Everything’s better when you win,” Pace said postgame. “Winning’s the best deodorant.”
For Sonoma, more than one storyline surfaced ahead of Thursday’s matchup. Being a non-league matchup, the stakes were low, but besides Max Handron’s day of rest, Pace submitted a mostly regular lineup — except for one name. Behind the plate was Augie Martinez.
He’d been with the squad all season but was only found warming up the Stompers’ arms before and during each matchup. The incoming senior at Campolindo High School had seen one plate appearance all season, a walk in a game against the Alameda Anchors on May 31.
Before Thursday, he hadn’t touched the dirt when it really mattered. But playing the Tigers was Martinez’s chance to prove himself. When his name was announced, the Arnold Field crowd erupted. A slight grin filled his face, but he hid it, acting like he was used to the moment. The truth was, he wasn’t. To an average Stompers fan, it would’ve been impossible to know.
Martinez emerged with poise and leadership. Being the youngest player on the team is no easy task, but with support from starting catchers Connor Pawlowski and Esteban Sepulveda, Martinez cruised through each inning on defense. His at-bats showed flashes of maturity beyond his years.
“He’s a stud. He works his tail off every single day to get better,” Pace said pregame. “He really can swing it. We want him in the future, and he’s a great ballplayer.”
Despite going 0-for-3, Martinez reached via a walk and a hit-by-pitch. His composure brought energy to Sonoma’s dugout and pitching.
Patrick Atkinson was the Stompers’ Opening Day starter. Thursday’s outing marked his fourth appearance of the season, and he entered with a 1.29 ERA. Even with a new glove behind the dish, Atkinson’s command excelled.
The right-handed pitcher threw a season-long 5.2 innings. He struck out nine batters while allowing just three runs on three hits. A single by Connor Smith scored Noah Canter in the first inning. The Tigers added two more in the next frame when Chase Christenson drove home Alec Nava and Tino Vassell with a base hit.
But that was all the damage Atkinson surrendered. In what may have been his final appearance for Sonoma, the moment became even more special when longtime coach Dave Hoch came out to relieve him.
“It meant a lot to me. I’ve been coaching him since he was 12,” Hoch said. “Youth ball, high school, Sonoma State and then here, it meant a lot to go out and do that.”
With Atkinson’s limited runs allowed, the Stompers’ offense battled back. Facing former Stomper Charlie Malton, Scheppler punched a single in between first and second base in the first inning to plate Gabriel Tapia and Sepulveda. In the fifth, Sepulveda doubled to score Quinn Medin. The following inning, Scheppler emerged again.
After going from a 3-0 to a 3-2 count, he looked defeated. His two-run base hit had already done enough. What could the San Jose State transfer do with no one on and no outs? The next offering from California reliever Adam Smaglik was pulled far right. It seemed to be heading foul.
Scheppler watched the ball as he slowly approached first base. Just a few steps ahead of the bag, the ball traveled over the fence to regain Sonoma’s lead. The next inning, Texas Tech transfer Heeryun Han launched his first long ball of the summer over the right-centerfield wall in his final game. The consecutive innings felt straight out of a movie.
“From (Scheppler), I just see a great improvement all year,” Pace said. “It’s been really fun to watch and see where he’s at now.”
“(Han’s) a very talented pitcher and position player,” Pace added. “Just a quality character, a quality person and a quality ballplayer.”
The win looked all but sealed for the Stompers. Yet, in the eighth, Christenson scored on a double play. Christian Klosterman relieved Jaden Mason in the ninth and gave up a hit-by-pitch and two walks, which eventually fueled the Tigers to take the lead.
But on a night when Martinez cracked the lineup, Scheppler was playing to his potential and Han was making fans cry with his storybook final game, there was no way Sonoma would lose.
With two outs in the ninth, Sepulveda was at the plate. There was one strike on the board. The designated hitter dug into the batter’s box. Pitcher Zach Vassell pulled down — maybe too much. He bounced the ball several feet in front of home plate, allowing Medin to race home, where he dove headfirst to tie things up.
In the top of the tenth, Christenson was on third. A slow chopper came Scheppler’s way. With a barehand snag, the third baseman threw across the diamond right into Keys’ glove to get the out in time.
The pair had one last chance to prevail. Ben grounded out to advance Scheppler to third base after he began the inning on second. Then, Keys stepped in. After taking a ball, the first baseman roped a grounder to second base. Nathan Leffel attempted to catch Scheppler at the plate, but it was far too late.
As Keys rounded first and the dugout spilled onto the field, it was more than a win, but instead was a reward. For Martinez’s breakthrough, Scheppler’s resurgence, Han’s farewell and Keys’ clutch.
“It’s good to get back on the winning track and hopefully keep that rolling into tomorrow against the Seagulls,” Pace said.