Right fielder Matt LoCoco hit the first triple of his professional career to put the Sonoma Stompers up 7-0 in the fourth inning of Tuesday's 11-4 victory over the Vallejo Admirals. (James W. Toy III / Sonoma Stompers)
Hayley M. Slye / Media Relations
VALLEJO, Calif.– The Sonoma Stompers Professional Baseball Club, presented by Virginia Dare Winery, continued its reign of Pacific Association dominance with a 11-4 victory over the Vallejo Admirals Tuesday. Sonoma is undefeated in its first four games of the season and has scored 38 runs in that span.
Center fielder Matt Hibbert, who recorded two hits, runs and runs batted in Tuesday, was a member of the 2015 team that started the season 6-0 en route to an 18-3 start.
“I see the similarities as far as how deep of a team we have and the momentum that we carry on to each game,” Hibbert said. “There’s no break in our lineup. Pitchers are really having to give all that they got.”
Eddie Mora-Loera also came through for the Stompers Tuesday, knocking in the first Sonoma run of the game in the second. The big moment was one of a handful for Mora-Loera this season, as he went into the Admirals series batting .556.
“We have so many good players,” said Stompers manager Takashi Miyoshi. “Everyone knows what they have to do. It depends on the situation, it depends on the out, it depends on how many runs and they’re just executing right now.”
The Stompers went on to score three runs in the second as Isaac Wenrich picked up two RBIs of his own. The six-foot-two, 230-pound catcher also stole two bases Tuesday night.
Vallejo starter Marquis Hutchinson won last year’s Pacific Association Rookie of the Year award, but struggled through much of his five and two-thirds inning performance as Sonoma continued its offensive outburst.
In the fourth, a Hibbert double followed by a Matt LoCoco triple, the first of his professional career, yielded two runs apiece and put the Stompers up 7-0.
Two more runs in each of the sixth and eighth innings kept the Admirals at bay despite Vallejo managing four runs in the later innings, three off of otherwise dominant Stompers starter Scott Plaza.
“The first couple innings, the Vallejo hitters’ timing was really off because he hides the ball really well and he executed,” Miyoshi said. “Scott did a great job and I’m just really happy for him because he’s coming back from injury… Last year trying to rehab and then coming back to this game means a lot.”
The Stompers will look to remain undefeated as they take on the Admirals in Game 2 of the series Wednesday at 6:35 at Wilson Park in Vallejo.
“It’s definitely a good start to kind of piggyback off how we finished last year,” Hibbert said. “But we still have to stay humble and play every game the same way.”
STOMPERS TICKETS
The Stompers home opener is June 13 at 6 p.m. Tickets and merchandise are available now either online or at the fan shop at 234 W Napa Street in downtown Sonoma. Tickets will also be available at the box office on game days, starting 30 minutes prior to the game.
Use promo code "OPENINGDAY" to receive 15% off of home opener tickets online.
For more information, please contact the front office at 707-938-7277, or email info@stompersbaseball.com.