By Elakai Anela, Beat Writer
Infielder Hunter Carlson looks at his bat as he gets ready for the pitch to be delivered from the mound. Carlson went 1 for 3 in the contest Wednesday at Arnold Field in Sonoma and 4 for 8 in the two-game series. Photo courtesy of Karsen Kaiden | Sonoma Stompers
Every winning streak eventually ends. For the Sonoma Stompers, that moment came Wednesday, when the San Luis Obispo Blues handed them a 10-0 defeat at Arnold Field in Sonoma, Calif. and snapped their four-game run to kick off the season.
Despite the loss, Sonoma split the two-game series after winning Tuesday’s opener.
After a clean first inning, Stompers starting pitcher right-hander Jake Andreas surrendered three earned runs in the second inning. The first two came on a two-run home run by infielder Kutter Gage Webb.
Andreas exited with the bases loaded and nobody out in the second inning. Right-handed pitcher Wes Harwell entered in relief and allowed one inherited runner to score, extending San Luis Obispo's lead to 3-0.
Harwell settled in after entering the game. He struck out five batters in 2.2 innings but committed a costly throwing error that gave the Blues a 4-0 lead. An error by infielder Mateo Heredia on a hard-hit ground ball allowed the fifth run to score for San Luis Obispo.
Sonoma struggled to generate offense throughout the game. The Stompers had a chance to break through during the third with runners on second and third but infielder Hunter Carlson struck out to end the frame.
Carlson ended up going 1 for 3 at the plate Wednesday. In the two-game series, the 6-foot-2 left-handed batter went 4 for 8 with two RBIs.
San Luis Obispo starting pitcher left-hander Justin Cuella pitched three scoreless innings. He allowed one hit but struck out four on 48 pitches.
The Blues blew the game open in the sixth inning with four runs on two RBI doubles and an RBI single. An inning later, San Luis Obispo scored their 10th run of the night on an error by infielder Caze Derammelaere at shortstop.
Sonoma right-handed pitcher Scotty Kato struggled in his second appearance and first league outing this season. The Aliso Viejo, Calif. native gave up five hits and four earned runs in one inning.
Outfielder Nic Sebastiani, the sixth and final Stompers pitcher of the night, tossed a scoreless inning in his Sonoma debut. He induced a 6-4-3 double play to end his outing.
Ultimately, Sonoma went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base. The Stompers tallied four hits but committed three errors in the field. All three miscues allowed a run to score.
The Stompers will host the Petaluma Leghorns on Thursday in the Sonoma County Classic.