By Jordan Kimball, Beat Writer
After making an error in the top of the sixth, Paul Lizzul crushed a two-run home run 356 feet in the bottom half to reclaim the Stompers’ lead they never relinquished.
With 11 games remaining in the Stompers’ season, they’re in their best position yet. Tuesday’s matchup is the reason why. The Crawdads were the CCL North’s heavyweight team in 2024. They made it to the championship before falling to the Oaks.
This year, Walnut Creek has once again put on a clinic, leading the league in the standings for much of the season. Sonoma’s been floating around the third-place mark, but on Tuesday, it faced the Merchants, who swept in and had taken first place from the Crawdads.
Things were all knotted up. Walnut Creek and Alameda sat one game ahead of the Stompers. Now, Sonoma holds the crown. In claiming their third straight win with a 3-1 victory over the Merchants, the Stompers (22-13, 18-11 CCL) took first place in the CCL North for the first time this season.
“We tell our guys every day’s a big game,” Sonoma manager Zack Pace said humbly pregame. “Today’s not any different than any other day. It’s just about going with the same mindset we have every single time.”
Pace strongly emphasizes “winning the week.” As long as the Stompers can do that each time they come out to Arnold Field, Pace knows they’ll be in a good spot come the end of the season. Sonoma’s won the last four weeks. Tuesday’s contest with Alameda was a key step to No. 5.
Defensively, the Stompers came out with little discipline. Colton Boardman booted a ball in the first inning, and uncertainty surrounded Shawn McBroom, who pitched against the same Merchants team on July 2 and allowed three runs in 2.1 innings.
Boardman’s error was a sign of bad things to come, as he’s been one of the Stompers’ defensive pacesetters. And while it wasn’t even close to his fault, Sonoma followed in his direction and ended with five errors.
“I told the (team) we need to clean that up. We need to do a better job with that,” Pace said postgame. “Our guys work harder than anyone. They’re out there every day. It’s hard to fault their effort.”
Even with the miscues in the field, McBroom worked around them to complete a four-inning masterclass. After escaping a two-runner jam in the first inning, McBroom retired the side in order in the following frame.
In the third, Aidan Taclas singled to left field and reached second on another error, this one by Trent Keys. But McBroom again held down the fort. McBroom capped his outing with a 14-pitch fourth inning, in which Angelo Luna, Chase Ditmar and Fabian Gomez were all punched on strikes.
“He really finished strong with those three strikeouts and really helped us to a good start to the week,” Pace said of McBroom. “He had all three pitches thrown for strikes. Really just filling up the zone and keeping hitters off balance, he did a great job.”
Offensively, Sonoma stalled. Its defense brought it down, and it struggled to find ways to crack Merchants’ starter Jaden Bitter. In the fifth, though, the Stompers got on the board. As seen in prior innings, Sonoma was quickly in a two-out situation. Keys and Luke Duncan struck out. But Cameron Hegamin brought life.
He was hit by a pitch and immediately stole second on Boardman’s at-bat. On a passed ball, Hegamin reached third, and all of a sudden, Boardman redeemed himself from his early error with a bloop single into centerfield to put the Stompers in front.
Kyle Seo relieved his brother Ryan and allowed Alameda to tie the game on a laser sacrifice fly lined to right field. Brady Shannon used his Division I-quarterback arm to try and gun Taclas at the plate, but it bounced in just late.
Kyle’s surrendered run wouldn’t have happened without an error. Duncan threw a ball into the ground when Taclas began to run, and he reached third when it skirted into center field. After meaningless mistakes, one of them finally came back to bite Sonoma.
But it quickly bounced back. After Taclas scored, a pop-up was hit to Paul Lizzul at first base. He dropped the rock, and a runner reached base. Lizzul expressed visual frustration, but he shoved it away during his at-bat in the bottom half.
McCann Libby had just singled. Lizzul was in the cleanup slot. He had a chance to right his previous wrong, and after one foul, he pimped an offering from reliever Nick Fenton 356 feet over the right-center field fence to reclaim the Stompers’ lead.
“I’m just thinking a top half approach. Really trying to create good bat speed, and I think it’s been working,” Lizzul said postgame. “I went up there looking for offspeed. He threw a chageup, and the rest is history.”
Lizzul’s home run was the icing on the cake. A cake that Sonoma’s been hungry for all season. Just to be sure, though, Heeryun Han and Braden Guentz combined to throw three scoreless innings to seal the Stompers’ victory.