By Elakai Anela, Beat Writer
Utility player Ben Sebastiani (College of Marin) jogs to first base July 15 against the Alameda Merchants at Arnold Field. Sebastiani went 1-for-4 from the plate Sunday in Sonoma’s 6-1 loss to the Merchants. Photo Courtesy of Karsen Kadien / Sonoma Stompers
SONOMA, Calif. — The Sonoma Stompers managed only one run Sunday in a 6-1 defeat against the Alameda Merchants in the final game of the regular season at Arnold Field. Sonoma’s offense produced seven hits and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The defense committed two costly errors.
Stompers manager Zack Pace said postgame said his team “has to be better” as the playoffs begin.
“In playoff baseball, every little thing matters,” Pace said. “The team that makes more mistakes is probably going to lose the ballgame. We got to find a way to limit that kind of stuff.”
After throwing 20 pitches in the first two innings, Stompers starting pitcher right-hander Keller Ausbun (Colorado State – Pueblo) labored through the third.
The 6-foot-1 right-hander allowed four hits and three runs in the third. Two runs were earned after the Stompers committed two errors — one was by Ausbun on a throw to first base that led to the first Merchants run.
The Merchants added to their lead with a two-run home run by outfielder Giovanni Martini (Cal State East Bay) in the fifth. It was Martini’s third RBI of the contest.
In his fourth start, Ausbun pitched five innings and walked two but fell to 0-2 on the season with the loss. His previous longest outing of the summer was July 14 against the San Francisco Seagulls where he pitched 2.1 innings and allowed four hits and two earned runs.
Pace said Ausbun had a “lot of quick” innings although the walks “hurt” him.
Sonoma's sloppy play continued in the sixth inning, costing it a run.
The frame opened with a walk. The next batter hit a single, but the ball was misplayed in right field by outfielder Michael Jones (University of San Francisco) allowing the runners to advance to second and third. Then, designated hitter Max Ghiglieri stole home to make it 6-0.
The Stompers broke through on the scoreboard in the final inning. With two outs, infielder Bryson Ayala (Tulane University) recorded an RBI single, tallying his 17th RBI of the season.
The Stompers next contest will be a one-game playoff series Tuesday against the San Luis Obispo Blues at Sinsheimer Stadium in San Luis Obispo, Calif. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed on YouTube.
Pace said he feels better about being the “underdog” heading into the playoffs compared to last season.
“We have nothing to lose,” Pace said. “Go lay it all out there. If you’re the No. 1 seed, you’re expected to win. We don’t have that pressure on us this year.”