By Jordan Kimball, Beat Writer
Few things pair better in life than America’s pastime and the Fourth of July, especially nestled in Wine Country. It’s festive, fun and displays the tight-knit community Sonoma possesses. The Stompers only add to that.
The Stompers exploded for 10 runs in the first three innings en route to their 14-7 win on Friday.
They walk in Sonoma’s annual July 4 parade. And nothing beats a win a few hours later. On Friday, the Stompers got it done, capping a magical holiday.
Carried by 10 runs in the first three innings, Sonoma (19-13, 15-11 CCL) defeated the Novato Knicks 14-7. It wasn’t a league game, but the Stompers came out hot and never looked back.
“We had good plate appearances, and some guys swung the stick pretty well,” Sonoma manager Zack Pace said postgame. “We’ll take it (going forward).”
When the box score shows an explosion of early offense like Friday’s did, it’s usually a sign of a team locked in. After Thursday’s surprising loss to the Seagulls, though, it wasn’t expected. The Stompers strung together timely hits, capitalized on Novato’s miscues and brought energy to the Arnold Field crowd.
Names that hadn’t been as notable stepped up, showcasing the depth the Stompers have. It began almost right away. Anthony Scheppler — who’s struggled as of late — cracked his first home run of the summer. The moment was significant, but the result was even more so. Scheppler’s knock was a grand slam and immediately put Sonoma in the driver’s seat.
After Jaxen Rowland surrendered three runs in the top of the second, the Stompers' offense picked up where it left off. Cameron Hegamin singled — one of his three hits in the matchup — to plate Heeryun Han.
The following frame, Ben Sebastiani joined the party with a three-run home run — his first of the summer — right after Trevor Schlafer added two more with a base hit.
“Both (Anthony and Ben) have been working their tails off and getting better,” Pace said. “I see it every day. It was really good to see them get the results today, and hopefully that can continue.”
A 10-4 lead was similar to Sonoma’s final scores. Only through three innings, though, more was definitely set to come. And while it took time, the Stompers put Novato out of reach in the seventh and eighth.
After Nicholas Poulus allowed a three-run sixth inning for the Knicks, which brought them within three runs, Paul Lizzul and Esteban Sepulveda nearly erased the comeback effort with a fielder’s choice and an RBI double.
Now up five in the eighth, Lizzul mashed an RBI double to score Sebastiani, and Scheppler walked with the bases loaded to bring in Han for run No. 14. From there, Patrick Atkinson pitched a scoreless ninth inning in his first outing since May 28 to seal the win.