By Elakai Anela, Beat Writer
Infielder Tino Vasell (University of San Francisco) turns his head, looking at the outfield grass July 14 against the San Francisco Seagulls at San Bruno Park in San Bruno, Calif. Vasell went 2-for-4 with an RBI and committed an error at third base Saturday in Sonoma’s 16-7 defeat to the Crawdads. Photo Courtesy of Karsen Kadien / Sonoma Stompers
SONOMA, Calif. — The Sonoma Stompers committed three errors and allowed 14 hits Saturday in its 16-7 loss against the Walnut Creek Crawdads at Arnold Field. All nine hitters in the Crawdads lineup recorded a hit.
Stompers manager Zack Pace said postgame he felt like his team was “sped up” which led to them “throwing the ball away.”
“It kept snowballing on us,” Pace said. “I felt like we had more errors than there were actually on the board. We made more mistakes than it actually showed.”
Walnut Creek pushed across the first two runs in the first inning to open the scoring. The first run scored on a sacrifice fly and the second came across after an RBI groundout to first base.
Sonoma answered by scoring on a passed ball but left runners on second and third after a strikeout and an inning-ending groundout.
The Crawdads scored two more runs in the top of the second. Infielder Lucas Carlisle (Santa Barbara City College) hit a double to make it 3-1. Infielder Aidan Robles capped off the inning with an RBI single to left field.
In the bottom of the frame, Stompers infielder Ben Sebastiani (College of Marin) hit a two-run single through the middle of the infield to cut the deficit to 4-3.
The Crawdads extended their lead with two more runs in the third. Stompers infielder Tino Vasell (University of San Francisco) committed a costly throwing error to push the fifth run across for Walnut Creek.
Stompers starting pitcher right-hander Micah Marquez (College of Marin) exited the contest after allowing six earned runs in 2.1 innings. The St. Helena, Calif., native’s season ERA jumped to 5.23 in 10.1 innings pitched.
Pace said he felt like Marquez’s pitches were “up” which made it “easier” for the Crawdads to hit him.
“Even though it’s not high exit velo, it’s easier for them to put the ball in play,” Pace said. “That's baseball though sometimes. That's what happens."
During the fifth, Walnut Creek scored six runs to make it 12-3 and break the contest open.
Two runs scored on throwing errors by Stompers right-handed pitcher Keller Ausbun (Colorado State – Pueblo). Another scored on a passed ball that catcher Hunter Carlson (Georgia State) couldn’t secure.
Pace said it was “frustrating” to see the overthrows and mental mistakes, leading to runs.
“If you can’t play catch, you can’t play the game,” Pace said. “At the next level, pro ball, they play catch flawlessly.”
Ausbun was pulled with one out in the fifth inning, giving way to right-handed pitcher Riley Dickey (Modesto Junior College) with one out and a runner on first. The Crawdads picked up two more runs, one scoring on a fielder's choice and the other on a single by catcher Riley Winchell (Chabot College).
Sonoma battled back, scoring four runs in the sixth inning. Three of the four scored with two outs.
The rally was kickstarted by Ben Sebastiani, who hit his second RBI single into left field. Vasell then hit a hard-hit single up the middle to make it 12-5. Uriepero finished the inning with a softly hit two-run single past the pitcher and the diving Walnut Creek infielder Alijah Ramos (Cal State East Bay), cutting the Sonoma deficit down to five.
Pace said he felt like his batters were “swinging” the bat well, especially during the sixth inning.
“I felt like for a second it got interesting,” Pace said. “Hopefully we can keep the bats going heading into tomorrow.”
Walnut Creek responded with one run in both the seventh and eighth innings. Winchell hit a solo home run, his fourth of the season, and Ramos recorded an RBI single.
The Crawdads widened their gap with two runs in the ninth. Designated hitter Sutter Moss (San Joaquin Delta College) hit his third home run and 11th RBI of the season. Outfielder Brandon Clizbe (New Mexico State) recorded a one-run double down the left field line.
Sonoma finishes the week Sunday on the road against the San Francisco Seagulls at San Bruno Park. First pitch will be at 6:05 p.m. and the game will be streamed on YouTube.