By Elakai Anela, Beat Writer
Infielder Bryson Ayala (Tulane University) scoops and fires the ball to first base as his hat falls off his head Thursday. Ayala had one hit and recorded one run in four plate appearances Friday at Arnold Field. Photo Courtesy of Karsen Kadien / Sonoma Stompers
SONOMA, Calif. — The Sonoma Stompers bullpen covered the final five innings without allowing an earned run and walked only two batters Friday in Sonoma’s 7-4 victory against the Alameda Merchants at Arnold Field.
Stompers manager Zack Pace said his bullpen did a “good job” overall.
“Everyone was on tonight,” Pace said. “Blankenship was good out of the pen; he fired everyone up. Kato had a couple good innings. Laguinto was lights out at the end.”
Stompers starting pitcher right-hander Micah Marquez (Jamestown University) struggled in the first inning, giving up two earned runs during his third start.
On the first pitch of the game, Merchants infielder Zach Lewis hit a 360-foot solo home run to left field. Three batters later, outfielder Jackson Nystrom hit an RBI double to make it 2-0.
The Stompers countered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, knotting the affair.
With runners on first and third, the California Collegiate League RBI leader, infielder Tino Vasell (University of San Francisco), produced an RBI single. After another single, this time by outfielder Michael Jones (University of San Francisco), catcher Gage McCown (Cal State Northridge) came through with a sacrifice fly to center field.
However, Sonoma left runs on the board. Prior to both RBIs, outfielder Connor Johnston (Bellarmine University) was thrown out at the plate after trying to score on a passed ball to the backstop from third with nobody out.
Pace said Johnston has to “be 100% sure” about going on a passed ball or wild pitch moving forward.
“If there’s any hesitation, shut it down,” Pace said. “We have zero outs ... It’s 100% or don’t go, there’s no in-between.”
Marquez settled in after the first, inducing four strikeouts in the next two innings. After a leadoff double in the top of the fourth, Marquez was pulled from the contest.
Pace said Marquez “settled” into the contest after the first.
“It’s pretty much all about his location,” Pace said. “The first pitch of the game was up, by the belly button, which is of course easier to hit. He started to get the ball down later on which helped him out.”
After the St. Helena, Calif., native departed, the Merchants scored two more runs. The first run came on an RBI single by catcher Bennett Johnston. The fourth run scored after a throwing error by Stompers infielder Ben Sebastiani (College of Marin) on a potential double play.
Pace said Sebastiani has to “know the speed of the game” in that situation.
“You don’t need to make the spectacular play,” Pace said. “I talked to him about it.”
Marquez was charged with three earned runs in three innings. He allowed four hits but collected four strikeouts on 55 pitches.
In the bottom of the fourth, Sonoma responded to tie the contest again with two outs. After a nine-pitch battle with runners on first and second, utility player Hunter Carlson (Georgia State) came through with a two-run double into right field.
In the fifth, the Stompers bats continued to produce. Outfielder Wesley Bass (Georgia State) broke the tie with a solo home run over the left field wall. Later in the frame, Sebastiani delivered a two-run triple into the right-center field gap to make it 7-4.
Sonoma’s bullpen kept the Alameda offense quiet for the rest of the contest.
Right-handed pitcher Scotty Kato (Cal State Monterey Bay) pitched two scoreless innings and allowed two hits. Right-handed pitcher Ken Blankenship (Benedictine University – Mesa) followed Kato with three scoreless frames.
Pace said Blankenship was “fired up” in his outing.
“Their dugout was all chirpy,” Pace said. “He chirped at them, he did. After the last inning, I told him, ‘Don’t say a word to them. Talk your shit with how you play.’ He wanted to compete and win. I was proud of him.”
Right-handed pitcher Devon Laguinto (San Joaquin Delta College) was the third and final reliever out of the bullpen. He worked the ninth, picking up his fourth save.
Sonoma returns to action at home Saturday against the Walnut Creek Crawdads. First pitch will be at 6:05 p.m. and the game will be streamed on YouTube.
“We have to play against them, not ourselves,” Pace said. “If you just play the best game you can, good things are going to happen.”