By Elakai Anela, Beat Writer
Outfielder Wesley Bass swings the bat, timing it up perfectly with the ball. Bass went 1-for-4 with two RBIs and made the game-ending catch in right field Thursday during Sonoma’s 8-6 victory against the Menlo Park Legends at Arnold Field. Photo Courtesy of Karsen Kadien / Sonoma Stompers
SONOMA, Calif. — The Sonoma Stompers needed only three hits Thursday, scoring eight runs in an 8-6 victory against the Menlo Park Legends at Arnold Field.
Stompers manager Zack Pace said postgame that his team was “efficient” with their hits.
“It was a little weird,” Pace said. “We didn’t have a lot of hits, but we had a lot of walks and stuff like that. We scored some runs and found a way to come out on top which is huge.”
After its third consecutive victory, Sonoma improved to 24-16 in the California Collegiate League. The Stompers are locked into third place — the final playoff spot — in the CCL North Division standings behind the San Luis Obispo Blues and the Walnut Creek Crawdads.
Infielder Casey Leavitt-McGee opened the scoring for the Legends in the top of the second with a 411-foot solo home run over the scoreboard in right-center field. The longball was Leavitt-McGee's second of the season.
In the third, the Stompers took advantage of two errors by Menlo Park to take the lead. After the miscues, infielder Bryson Ayala (Tulane) delivered the first run on a fielder’s choice groundout. Infielder Misael Uriepero (Youngstown State) brought in the second with another groundout.
Sonoma picked up its first hit during the fourth. Outfielder Michael Jones (University of San Francisco) lined a single into left field, extending his hitting streak to six games. Later in the frame, the Tucson, Arizona, native scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1.
Menlo Park responded with a run in the fifth, but Stompers starting pitcher right-hander Mason Cortez (San Joaquin Delta College) limited further damage.
Cortez became the second Stompers pitcher to throw five innings this year. The 5-foot-11 right-hander lowered his season ERA from 3.71 to 3.68 in 22 innings pitched.
After Cortez exited the contest, the Legends tied it 3-3 with a sacrifice fly to left field. However, Sonoma answered with five runs scored to take the lead for good.
Pace said the ground balls “early on” with Cortez on the mound were “huge.”
“The guys behind him were making plays,” Pace said. “It was really good infield play and I was pleased with that for sure. And we didn’t have to take Mason out earlier, which helped our bullpen.”
The first four hitters of the inning reached on three walks and a hit-by-pitch, giving the Stompers a 4-3 lead. Outfielder Wesley Bass (Georgia State) delivered with a two-run double — his first double of theseason. Catcher Eli Burnham (UC Davis) rounded out the frame with a two-run single, recording his first two RBIs of the season.
Pace said those were the two hits he “highlighted” in the postgame speech to his group.
“They both aren’t swinging it great right now, so I think it was huge personally,” Pace said. “To be able to help the team out and get the big knock is really big.”
Figlar continued to struggle with his command in the seventh, walking two batters and hitting one. Menlo Park took advantage, scoring two runs to make it 8-5.
The Legends scored another run in the eighth. Stompers right-handed pitcher Sam Schnitzer (University of San Francisco) walked two batters but struck out and induced an inning-ending flyout with runners on first and second.
Pace said Figlar and Schnitzer “weren’t trying” to hit the edges of the strike zone and their “mechanics” were the reason for the command issues.
“It’s all about getting your mechanics to be repeatable,” Pace said. “It’s easier for guys with repeatable mechanics to throw strikes.”
Despite a one-out walk, Stompers right-handed pitcher Alec Murray (Fordham University) pitched a scoreless ninth inning, recording his first save of the season.
Sonoma continues its four-game homestand Friday against the Alameda Merchants. First pitch will be at 6:05 p.m. and the game will be streamed on YouTube.