Francis Ford Coppola and Sonoma Stompers Promote Recruitment, Development and Advancement of Women in Baseball

In a historic announcement, Virginia Dare Winery, Francis Ford Coppola's newest venture and premier partner of the Sonoma Stompers, have blazed a trail for the advancement of women in baseball by bringing two of the most talented female baseball players in the United States to begin playing with the Stompers on July 1, 2016.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THIS HISTORIC EVENT!

Sonoma Stompers Staff & Virginia Dare Media Services

In an effort to promote the recruitment, development and advancement of women in baseball, Francis Ford Coppola’s Virginia Dare Winery in association with the Sonoma Stompers Professional Baseball Club, an independent professional baseball team, have been actively searching for the best women baseball players in the United States to come and join the team. It was announced today that 17-year-old outfielder/pitcher Kelsie Whitmore from Temecula, California and 25-year-old pitcher/infielder Stacy Piagno from St. Augustine, Florida have been recruited and will play with the Stompers beginning on July 1st when Sonoma hosts the San Rafael Pacifics. The two female players will be in the Stompers starting lineup on Friday.

“My family would play co-ed baseball games and inevitably the star player would always be an aunt who could run and hit and that made the games so much more fun,” said Francis Ford Coppola. “When watching Major League Baseball, I always wondered why there couldn’t be a co-ed team. It’s the one major sport in which weight and strength come less into play. So when my Sonoma winery became involved with the Stompers, I had the opportunity to turn this thought into a reality and recruit these amazing women capable of playing alongside men.”

The Stompers, which are part of the independent Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs, will be the first co-ed professional baseball team since the 1950s when Toni Stone, Mamie “Peanut” Johnson and Constance Morgan achieved the distinction of becoming the first women to play alongside men in the Negro Leagues.

“The Stompers share the passion and vision of Francis Ford Coppola, and are dedicated to the advancement of women in baseball,” said Theo Fightmaster, VP & General Manager of the Sonoma Stompers. “While many believe it's only a matter of time before we see a woman playing in the MLB, I've learned over the past several months that there are many steps in between where we are and where we should be in terms of women in this sport. We hope this sends a message to the rest of the baseball world that there is room for women and girls in this game – from Little League to the Major Leagues.”

In September, Whitmore and Piagno are also slated to play for Team USA in the Women’s Baseball World Cup in South Korea. Whitmore, who recently graduated from Temecula Valley High School, will attend Cal State Fullerton on a softball scholarship next season. Piagno, who threw a no-hitter for the United States team when they captured a gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, Canada, played softball at the University of Tampa.

The Stompers have always looked to push the envelope since their inception in 2014 when former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos left-handed pitcher, Bill 'Spaceman' Lee, became the oldest player to win a professional baseball game. In 2015, the Stompers agreed to let nationally acclaimed baseball writers, Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller, implement a data-driven approach to evaluating and signing players. Lindberg and Miller chronicled their experience in the New York Times best-selling book, "The Only Rule is it Has to Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team." Also in 2015, the Stompers made international news when pitcher, Sean Conroy, became the first openly gay player to ever play at the professional level.

The July 1st game from Peoples Home Equity Ballpark at Arnold Field in Sonoma, California will be available via a live streaming broadcast on BAOSN.TV (Bay Area Online Sports Network) with veteran announcer Joe Castellano calling the play-by-play, reporter Kate Rooney and Stompers broadcaster Tim Livingston. The broadcast will begin at 5:45 pm PT with a special pre-game show prior to the 6:00 pm PT first pitch. Tickets to this historic game are on sale now at StompersBaseball.com.

As the premier sponsor of the Sonoma Stompers, the Virginia Dare Winery in Sonoma County is partnering with the team over the next three years. The Stompers opened the season May 31, 2016, and started their home season in Sonoma on Tuesday, June 7, at 6 p.m. against the Vallejo Admirals. Full Season tickets, mini-plans and partial season tickets and single-game tickets are on sale at www.Stompersbaseball.com.

ABOUT THE SONOMA STOMPERS

The Sonoma Stompers Professional Baseball Club was founded in 2014 and is a member of the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs. It plays its home games at Peoples Home Equity Ballpark at Arnold Field, just a block away from Sonoma’s historic plaza. The independent baseball club has had two players in its history signed by Major League Baseball organizations, as Sonoma’s own Jayce Ray was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 2015 and Santos Saldivar was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers shortly before the 2016 season. For more information on the team, visit StompersBaseball.com or visit the team’s Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street, Sonoma, CA 95476.

ABOUT VIRGINIA DARE WINERY

Virginia Dare Winery, American wines since 1835, pays tribute to America’s winegrowing heritage. The existence of the 400-year-old scuppernong “Mother Vine,” a variety of muscadine, growing on Roanoke Island, North Carolina is intertwined with the story of one of the first English settlements in the New World, which later mysteriously disappeared without a trace, leaving nothing but a spellbinding story of mythical and mysterious characters – each of which grace the labels of our wines. Crafted with grapes from the finest viticulture regions in California, our wines are rich with characteristics befitting an American legend: Pure. Natural. Distinctive. Learn more by visiting Virginia Dare Winery located at 22281 Chianti Road, Geyserville, CA 95441.

Eighth Inning Rally By Admirals Key In Stompers 4-2 Loss

Yuki Yasuda reached base four times in Sonoma's 4-2 loss to the Vallejo Admirals Sunday while also playing fabulous defensively. Yasuda finished 2 for 3 with two walks in the game.

James Toy III

Geoff Safford, Media Relations Assistant

Mark Hurley caught a break to put Sonoma in the hit column in the second inning. Hurley hit what looked to be a routine ground ball to the shortstop Raul Navarro and the ball took a hop right over the top of Navarro’s head into left field. The ball hopped up like a basketball on the hardwood and there was nothing Navarro could do about it. This bad bounce would be a sign of things to come.

Entering the bottom of the eighth the game was tied at 2-2, and one of Sonoma’s most reliable bullpen arms was in the game in the late inning situation. Taylor Thurber has been rock solid out of the pen this season, but ran into some trouble in the eighth. Gadiel Baez and Lydell Moseby reached on a walk and a double to put runners at second and third.

Cyle Figueroa came up to the dish next in an interesting situation.  He came into the game because of a player ejection earlier in the contest. This was his first at bat of the day and it came with two men on, and two out in the bottom of the eighth in a tie game.

 Figueroa hit a ball on the ground just to the left of the first base bag that looked to be playable for first baseman Daniel Baptista. Baptista laid out to make the play, but was victimized by a bad hop and the ball ended up in right field for a hit. Both runners scored and that would be all the Admirals would need as they defeated the Stompers 4-2 Sunday at Wilson Park.

Sonoma struggled to get the big hit offensively as they stranded 11 runners on base during the game. The only RBIs in the game came on a two run blast by Joel Carranza in the sixth inning that at the time tied the game at 2-2. Yuki Yasuda's performance at the plate was the highlight as he finished 2 for 3 with two walks.

Sonoma found themselves in position to put an inning together in the ninth as the first two batters reached. But Yuki Yasuda getting caught trying to steal second base was a huge blow to the inning and the rally ultimately fell short.

Gregory Paulino kept his club in the ballgame by allowing two runs on six hits in five innings of work, and did not have a decision.  The offense did not do enough for Paulino to get a win. The Stomper offense has averaged just over 1 run in the last three games that Paulino has started.

Taylor Thurber (1-2) picked up the loss for Sonoma, as the ball literally did not bounce the right way for him in the eighth. Marquis Hutchinson (2-1) got credit for the win out of the pen and Joe Watson (3) picked up the save for Vallejo (10-14).

After a day off Monday, Sonoma will begin a week of play that may decide who will finish on top of the Pacific Association in the first half. Sonoma (13-10) is tied for first with the San Rafael Pacifics, and will face them seven times this week. The slate includes a double-header on July 3 with one of the games being a make-up game from June 16.

Veteran Mike Jackson Jr. (2-2) is scheduled to get the start Tuesday for Sonoma, and will look to bounce back from a sub par outing in his last start against the Diamonds on June 22. Jackson Jr. has faced San Rafael once this season and pitched a good ballgame in a 3-1 loss on June 15. There will be a lot on the line Tuesday at Albert Park as first place in the Pacific Association will be on the line.

Tickets for upcoming Sonoma Stompers home games are available on StompersBaseball.com. Stompers fan Merchandise, and tickets are also available at The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street in downtown Sonoma. Contact the Stompers with any questions at info@stompersbaseball.com.

Box Score

Statistics Level Baseball's Playing Field

Santos Saldivar pitching for the Sonoma Stompers on August 4, 2015. The Milwaukee Brewers signed him a month ago.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Originally Published: The Wall Street Journal

Ben Lindberg & Sam Miller, Guest Columnists

Last summer, an independent-league baseball team in California called the Sonoma Stompers entrusted its season to us, two writers with backgrounds in baseball statistics. We signed players, guided strategy and told the fielders where to stand for the most effective defense. We had no experience running a team, but we did have data, and we promised the owner of the Stompers that we would use it to build a new kind of baseball team.

But we also had a blind spot: There wasn’t much reliable data on our own performance. How do you measure a manager? More daunting: How do managers measure themselves?

Baseball is made for number-crunching. The matchup between pitcher and batter is one-on-one combat with a clear resolution. The metrics are tidy. But our own contributions fell outside the bounds of baseball statistics. At the end of the season, we knew our team’s record but not which wins we had helped to create. We slouched away unsure of how well we had done.

Until a Stompers pitcher named Santos Saldivar got signed by a major-league club.

To understand Mr. Saldivar’s career, you have to know the baseball hierarchy. Each of the 30 big-league teams has a farm system of minor-league affiliates, stocked largely by high-school and college players taken in the annual amateur draft. The independent leagues exist outside of that farm-system structure, employing players who washed out or weren’t wanted but are still trying to catch a scout’s eye.

A year ago, Mr. Saldivar believed that his statistics at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., would make him one of the fortunate few. As a senior, he had broken the school’s single-season strikeout record, set by his former teammate, Jose De Leon, who had been drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 and become one of baseball’s highest-ranked prospects.

After completing his college schedule, Mr. Saldivar stayed sharp by signing with the River City Rascals of the independent Frontier League, expecting a brief stay before getting the call to follow in Mr. De Leon’s footsteps. The hoped-for notification never arrived.

Mr. Saldivar is short. That’s the whole story of why he wasn’t drafted. Tall pitchers have advantages: They release the ball closer to the plate, giving batters less time to react. They throw “downhill,” making their pitches harder to hit squarely. Their bigger bodies make them more durable, and they are seen as “protectable,” that is, able to add bulk and strength as they age. A pitcher like Mr. Saldivar—who’s about 5-foot-8—is easy for scouts to overlook.

Mr. Saldivar’s stint with the Rascals didn’t last long. He was released after just one start, replaced by a pitcher who had a bum shoulder but was 6-foot-6 and a former major-league draftee.

When we took over the Stompers, we didn’t know that Mr. Saldivar existed. Most pro teams outside of affiliated ball are filled from the informal network of players who know other players and vouch for one another, or from the cast of wannabes who email baseball resumes to scores of teams, hoping for a hit. But the vast majority of qualified 22-year-olds don’t enter this network. They just disappear.

We weren’t content to limit our view to the network. One of our consultants, former San Diego Padres analyst Chris Long, cautioned us that “99.9% of the talent is sucked away in the draft.” But he gave us hope that within the remaining .1% we could find promising players whom the major-league teams had missed. Using spreadsheets crammed with college statistics, we discovered and signed Mr. Saldivar.

Our hope paid off. In his 13 games for the Stompers, he displayed an impressive array of pitches, ranging in speed from the mid-60s to the low-90s. He finished with a 2.04 earned-run average—the best in the league by a starting pitcher—and almost 11 strikeouts per nine innings.

Last month, a friend in the Milwaukee Brewers front office emailed us about our experience overseeing the Stompers. We mentioned, offhandedly, that he should sign Mr. Saldivar. More vital than our recommendation was the data we had accumulated.

If any Brewers scout had seen Mr. Saldivar during his college career, he hadn’t bothered to write a report. So we sent all of the information from his stint with the Stompers: the stats we had parsed and presented; the PITCHf/x data we had collected by persuading a company called Sportvision to install its expensive camera/computer system at our small-town field; the video we had filmed and edited after hours of road trips.

Two days later, the Brewers bit. Just as we had done last summer, they signed Mr. Saldivar without watching him pitch in person—making him the first Stompers player ever to be signed by a big-league club—and assigned him to their Rookie League team in Helena, Mont.

Hardly anyone plays independent baseball because they love it. They play because they want to move up, to get the call that Mr. Saldivar got from the Brewers. Most aren’t good enough. Even those who are rarely reach a major-league organization. It’s just too hard to attract the right team’s attention.

For most of last season, we struggled to assess how well our tactics were working. The players said that our stat-driven scouting reports had helped, but there was no way to be sure. Now, at last, we know that our data made a difference. “Having the full combination of the PITCHf/x, video and stats is really helpful,” our Brewers contact told us, “especially since I doubt we’d get eyes on [Mr. Saldivar] otherwise.” Our greatest triumph hadn’t been adding an underappreciated player to the roster but helping him to leave.

In retrospect, we should have played up that possibility. When we introduced ourselves to the team, we soft-pedaled our devotion to data, wary of being perceived as “Poindexters” or, worse, Big Brother. But our numbers-based approach wasn’t a threat. It was a lifeline for players such as Mr. Saldivar, whom traditional methods had missed. Technology like PITCHf/x promises to flatten fields; it sold the Brewers on Mr. Saldivar because they could accurately compare his stuff to that of other professional pitchers, despite differences in stature, setting and quality of competition.

In baseball or any other industry, quantifying performance provides a competitive advantage to companies that aren’t at the top of the food chain. Prospective employees are more likely to view a less glamorous job as an appealing option if they know that their contributions can be measured and shared. Losing Mr. Saldivar hurts the Stompers in the short term, but dropping his name during recruiting calls will help them to reseed their roster for years to come.

Good management produces its own data points: the employees who get called up to The Show. Mr. Saldivar’s promotion suggested that we had done our work pretty well.

Stompers Escape In 9-8 Victory Over The Admirals

Matt Hibbert was the team leader in RBIs in the Stompers 9-8 victory over the Admirals Saturday. Hibbert finished the game 2 for 3 with a run scored, and three RBIs.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Geoff Safford, Media Relations Assistant

Baseball players are creatures of habit. Many players have specifics routines they follow almost religiously on game days. Stompers Manager Takashi Miyoshi’s pregame meal of a McDonald’s cheeseburger is one of many examples of this. The Stompers success over the Admirals this season has started to become a habit for the club. Coming into the game Saturday, Sonoma was 8-2 overall against the Admirals. Saturday night at Wilson Park, however, was anything but routine for the Stompers.

Sonoma had to be feeling good heading into the home half of the seventh inning. The Stompers were leading 8-1 after a four run rally in the top half of the inning.  The Admirals seemed to be unraveling and looked more interested in arguing with the umpires than playing the game. But somehow, the Admirals were able to bounce back in a big way. Vallejo seems to play better from behind as they have multiple come from behind victories on the season. Sonoma had a first row seat to this during the home opener on June 7 as the Admirals stunned the Stompers by erasing a late inning lead. Saturday’s comeback may have been the best yet for Vallejo.

13 batters came to the plate in the seventh for the Admirals, and nine of them singled off of three different Stomper relievers. 10 base runners reached in the inning. A game that seemed over was somehow tied at 8-8 headed into the top of the eighth. The top and bottom half of the seventh took almost an hour to play alone.

After getting punched in the gut by the Admirals, the Stompers found themselves in a close game. Sonoma was on the wrong end of a big rally, and sometimes that can demoralize a team. But this team stayed the course even when things seemed to be crumbling and snuck by in a 9-8 victory.  It was not pretty, but they found a way to win the game in the end.

The single that put the Stompers back on top in the eighth by Mason Morioka wasn’t smashed. But Morioka hit a ground ball into the right spot right back up the middle and scored Joel Carranza to give the Stompers the lead back. Morioka finished the game 3 for 5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Matt Hibbert was also a highlight offensively as he finished with a team leading three RBIs and a run scored. Hibbert was 2 for 3.

Austin Delmotte turned in one of the gutsiest performances for any Stomper so far this season out of the pen on Saturday. Delmotte was the last pitcher to enter the disaster that was the seventh inning and got the final out of the inning. He then proceeded to go the rest of the way, throwing 2 scoreless innings to preserve the win. Delmotte did so after pitching the night before. It is not completely uncommon for a reliever to pitch on two straight nights. But for Delmotte to pitch multiple innings after pitching Friday night as well was as gutsy as it gets.

Delmotte got credit for the victory, his first of the season. Starter Oliver Garcia was solid in his five innings of work, but watched his chances for a victory go by the wayside in the seventh when Vallejo tied the game. Garcia allowed one run on only three hits while striking out six.

Sonoma (13-9) has now defeated Vallejo (9-14) five consecutive times overall, and a win Sunday will give them their second straight series sweep over the club. The win Saturday also gave the Stompers the outright lead in the Pacific Association. Gregory Paulino will get the start for Sonoma, and the Stompers will look to get the big righty some more run support. Sonoma has only mustered 2 runs total in the last 2 games that Paulino has started.

Tickets for future Stompers home games are available on StompersBaseball.com. Fan merchandise, and tickets are also available for purchase at The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street in Sonoma. If you have any questions, contact the Stompers at info@stompersbaseball.com. 

Box Score

Sonoma Hangs On For Series Opening Win In Vallejo

Caleb Bryson celebrates his three-run homer with Matt Hibbert in the fifth inning on Friday night at Wilson Park in Vallejo. His league-leading seventh homer proved to be the difference.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Tim Livingston, Assistant GM - Baseball Operations & Media

After a somewhat tumultuous stop in Pittsburg to being their nine-game road trip, the Sonoma Stompers had to be happy to see the Vallejo Admirals Friday night. They had won seven of nine games against the last-place Admirals this year, including a sweep this past weekend in Sonoma.

Thanks to the team capitalizing on an early error and the league-leading power of Caleb Bryson, the Stompers once again had a big lead that held up in the end, as Sonoma held off a late Vallejo charge to take game one of their three game series at Wilson Park, 6-4.

While Thursday night's victory against the Diamonds was Sonoma's first come-from-behind win in 2016, Sonoma (12-9) used a familiar formula to even up their road trip record at 2-2. The Stompers got out to a 5-0 lead by the fifth inning, with Bryson's towering two-out three-run homer to left-center proving to be the game-clinching hit.

In the third, Sonoma got two unearned runs thanks to a throwing error by Vallejo's Gadiel Baez, as his low throw to first base got past Lydell Moseby, allowing Derrick Fox to reach and move to second. The play also pushed Yuki Yasuda to third base.

David Dinelli (2-3) then followed up with a wild pitch, plating Yasuda to put Sonoma on the board. Bryson followed with an RBI single past a diving Jackson Valera at third to make it 2-0 in favor of the visiting team.

Yet Vallejo (9-13), as they are wont to do, would not go away in the late innings. Of their nine wins this year, six of them have been come-from-behind wins, including one against the Stompers back on June 7, when they spoiled Sonoma's home opener with an extra inning win, 5-4.

They got it to that same score thanks to two runs in the fifth off Sean Conroy (2-1) and two more against Juan Espinosa in the seventh. even getting the tying run to third base with one out. But Espinosa settled down with a strikeout and a fly out to get out of the jam and preserve the lead.

After a scoreless eighth, Espinosa gave way to the hard-throwing Austin Delmotte, who needed only 11 pitches to notch his first save of the season and give Sonoma their fourth win in a row over the Admirals.

Conroy had his second consecutive quality start, both coming against the Admirals. He went six innings, allowing two runs on nine hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Bryson's four RBIs gives him a league best 24 on the season, and if it weren't for Jackson Valera's continued dominance at the plate (.452 batting average after a 2 for 5 night), the slugging third baseman would be in contention for the Pacific Association's Triple Crown, as he's third in the league in hitting (.357) to go along with his gaudy power numbers. Matt Hibbert had his best night since returning to Sonoma, going 3 for 5 in the leadoff spot.

Sonoma remains in a first place tie with San Rafael and will send Oliver Garcia to the mound on Saturday in the second game of their series in Vallejo. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. with the broadcast beginning at 4:50 on the Stompers Radio Network.

Sonoma returns home on July 1st with a surprise event at People's Home Equity Ballpark that will change the course of baseball history. Fans can be a part of this event by purchasing their tickets online at StompersBaseball.com. For more information, call (707) 938-7277 or email the team at info@StompersBaseball.com.

BOX SCORE

Stompers Grind Out 6-3 Win Over Diamonds

Daniel Baptista returned to the lineup Thursday from the inactive list, and delivered with a 2 run double in Sonoma's 6-3 victory. He finished the game  2 for 4 with 2 RBIs. 

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Geoff Safford, Media Relations Assistant

Daniel Baptista did what a veteran leader is supposed to do in his at bat in the eighth inning. He battled from a 1-2 count to draw a walk by staying patient at the plate, and fouling off some tough pitches. This was Baptista’s first game back from the seven day inactive list, and he came back at a perfect time for Sonoma. The Stompers had struggled in the first two games of the series against the Pittsburg Diamonds, but the return of Baptista gave them a moral boost for game three. Baptista’s walk in the eighth was also not the highlight from his return to action.

There seemed to be a black cloud hanging over the Stomper dugout at City Park Field during this series. Everything that could have gone wrong did, and Sonoma had little success during the first two games of the series. However, in baseball you have to have a short memory and not focus on what happened in the recent past. Sonoma did a great job of that and showed great character in a 6-3 win Thursday over the Diamonds to avoid the series sweep. 

Sonoma’s dugout finally had something to cheer about in the fifth inning after a slow start. With the Diamonds leading 3-0 going into the inning, things were not looking good for Sonoma. A team that had been humiliated over the past two days was going down a familiar path. Sonoma squandered a few early scoring chances and the Diamonds had an early lead. The Stompers desperately needed a spark, and they got it from one of their strongest leaders.

Daniel Baptista stepped to the plate in the fifth with two aboard and delivered in a big way with a two run triple off the wall in center field to put the Stompers out in front 5-3. You could feel the energy shift as Baptista’s swing of the bat lit up the entire dugout. Baptista finished 2 for 4 in the game with two RBIs. Another key piece to the Stompers lineup was Caleb Bryson, who also had a fine evening as he finished 4 for 5 with an RBI.

Taylor Thurber has been one of the key men out of the bullpen so far this season and did not disappoint on Thursday. He pitched four shutout innings that even impressed the Diamonds broadcast team. They coined the name ‘Taylor the Tasmanian Devil’ to describe his style on the mound.

Thurber’s slider was something to behold as he threw darts on the corners of the plate time after time with the pitch. He used it multiple times as his kill pitch as well on his way to four strikeouts. Thurber got credit for the save, and made sure that starting pitcher Jose Flores would get credit for a win.

Sonoma (11-9) will now head to the second stop on this three-city road trip as they prepare to face the Vallejo Admirals at Wilson Park. Sonoma has faired well against the Admirals as they have won seven of the nine games they have played against them this season. Sean Conroy is scheduled to get the start and will look for an encore to the great performance he had on June 17 in a Stomper win. With the win Thursday, Sonoma stayed tied for first in the Pacific Association headed into the weekend.

Tickets for future Stompers home games are available on StompersBaseball.com. Fan merchandise, and tickets are also available for purchase in The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street in Sonoma. For more information, contact the Stompers at info@stompersbaseball.com.

Pittsburg Humbles Sonoma In 16-2 Loss

Derrick Fox finished 2 for 5 in Wednesday's loss to the Diamonds. Fox has now had multiple hits in six of the last nine games he has played in. 

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Geoff Safford, Media Relations Assistant

You never know what can happen when you come out to a baseball game. That is part of what keeps fans coming back night after night. Each game is different, and a new day brings a new game. That is something that Sonoma will have to focus on after the game Wednesday night. In baseball, the old saying "When it rains, it pours" is very appropriate. It was raining cats and dogs on the Stompers in game two of their series with the Diamonds.

The third inning was the big story of the game for the Diamonds as they scored 10 times in the inning. 14 hitters came to the plate for Pittsburg during the inning.  Oddly enough, none of the 10 runs were earned for the Diamonds as the Stompers made three errors in the inning. Starter Mike Jackson Jr. did not make it out of the third, and reliever Martin Cronin did not fare much better. The righty struggled to find the zone, and the inning ballooned out of control. When the dust settled, the Diamonds had a 13-0 lead. Pittsburg would add on a few runs in mop up duty and took game two by a final score of 16-2.

One silver lining that can be drawn from this game was that the Stompers did not give up after the crushing third inning. Cam Stimpson was called upon to pitch off the bench in the seventh and eighth innings. He pitched through an injury to his right hand. Stimpson plays mainly in the outfield for Sonoma and had not pitched in a game situation since spring training.  But when his club called upon him to pitch, he did. He also knew that coming out of the game due to injury would put strain on the bullpen, and was able to tough it out.

Before the fourth inning, the entire team had a meeting around the dugout. The Diamonds had just humiliated them with a huge rally but there was a lot of game left. A lot of teams would pack it in, but Sonoma did put one run on the board. At the end of the day, it did not mean much in terms of the final box score. However, teams have to find a way to keep playing even when the game seems out of reach.

Thursday will be a new day, and it will bring new challenges for the Stompers (10-9). They will now look to turn the tide as they have now lost four in a row to Pittsburg (10-10). Sonoma will also look to avoid a three game sweep, and ensure at least a tie for first place in the Pacific Association. Pittsburg on the other hand could find themselves in first place with a win tomorrow night.

This has a chance to be a defining moment for the Stompers season. They have been bludgeoned  and humiliated in these first two games. The Diamonds have outscored Sonoma 22-3 combined. None of that will matter on Thursday when Sonoma takes the field. One thing Sonoma can control is their attitude and focus on the field. How Sonoma responds will tell a story of where this team could be headed.

Tickets for upcoming Stompers home games are available on StompersBaseball.com.  Fan merchandise and tickets are also available inside The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street in Sonoma. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the team at info@StompersBaseball.com.

Box Score

Missed Opportunities Doom Stompers In 6-1 Loss To Diamonds

Mason Morioka went 3 for 4 in a 6-1 loss Tuesday.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Geoff Safford, Media Relations Assistant

The Sonoma Stompers dropped the opening game of this nine game road trip to the Pittsburg Diamonds by a score of 6-1. The game was close through most of the contest, but Pittsburg was able to finally pull away thanks to a late inning rally. Sonoma’s offense had plenty of opportunities to put runs on the board but was unable to get the big hit to break through. Rob Ellis picked up the win for Pittsburg defeating his counterpart Gregory Paulino.

Sonoma had the lead briefly in the second inning thanks to an RBI single by Ethan Szabo that bounced through the hole on the left side of the infield to put Sonoma ahead 1-0. However, Pittsburg would tie the game in the bottom of the inning on a solo homer by Nick Oddo.

The run for Sonoma in the second would be their last despite the fact that five Stomper hitters finished with multiple hits in the game. Sonoma was able to consistently get men aboard, but could not bring them to the plate. Sonoma stranded 11 runners total in the game. Mason Morioka led the team in hits as he went 3-for 4. Sonoma had 13 hits as a team.

Paulino (1-2) kept Sonoma in the ballgame during the five innings he pitched, but was left on the hook for the loss because of a lack of run support.  Ellis (1-1) did allow ten hits in his six innings of work, but countered that with nine strikeouts. Garrett Granitz, and Joe Lewis were able to hold Sonoma scoreless in the three innings they pitched to close out the ballgame.

The eight inning proved to be a huge one for Pittsburg offensively as they were able to get some breathing space for the ninth. Sonoma entered the bottom of the eighth trailing only 2-1. But a leadoff double by Mike Taylor, and a walk to Sammy Ayala put two aboard against Stomper reliever Eric Mozeika. Thomas Shull came up next and delivered the biggest hit of the game with a three run blast to make it 5-1.

Sonoma’s ability to get men aboard throughout the game had to give them confidence trailing by only one run going into the eighth. But the homer by Shull was a huge blow. Pittsburg would add one more to cap the four run eighth.

The Stompers (10-8) will look to bounce back against the Diamonds (9-10) in game 2 tomorrow night at City Park Field. Mike Jackson Jr. is scheduled to get the start for Sonoma.  Jackson Jr. beat the Diamonds the last time he faced them on June 3 in an 18-4 Stomper win. Jackson Jr. also tied the franchise record in that game with 12. The San Rafael Pacifics (10-8) remained tied with Sonoma for first place in the Pacific Association as they lost 11-8 to the Admirals Tuesday.

Tickets for upcoming Stomper home games are available at stompersbaseball.com. Fan merchandise, and tickets are also available at The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street in downtown Sonoma. If you have any questions, contact us at info@stompersbaseball.com.

Box Score

Bryson Powers Stompers To 10-7 Win Over Admirals

Caleb Bryson went 3 for 3 with a home run, and 2 RBIs Sunday.

Rick Bolen/Sonoma Stompers

Geoff Safford, Media Relations Assistant

Sonoma’s bats powered the Stompers to a 10-7 win, and series sweep over the Vallejo Admirals at People’s Home Equity Ballpark at Arnold Field Sunday. Sonoma’s offense scored 30 runs combined over the three game series. Slugger Caleb Bryson had a night to remember at the plate, and was involved in five of Sonoma’s ten runs. Starter Oliver Garcia also pitched well enough to earn his first win of the season. 

The Stompers (10-7) did a great job of getting off on the right foot early in games during this series and Sunday night was no exception. Sonoma’s offense put together a four run rally in the first. Mark Hurley came up big again with a two run double in the inning that went off the wall in right field. 

Vallejo’s offense kept things interesting in the seventh with a two run rally that cut the lead to 7-6.  However, Caleb Bryson had an answer as he launched a home run to left field to give Sonoma a two run lead. Bryson had one of his best nights at the plate this season as he finished a perfect 3 for 3 in the game. He also had 2 walks, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBIs. He reached base in all 5 of his plate appearances. He showed in this performance that he has all the tools to be a great hitter in the Pacific Association. Having the ability to hit the long ball is always a luxury, but what sets Bryson apart is his ability to be patient. 

Oliver Garcia had strikeout stuff again in his 5 2/3 innings of work and finished with 7 strikeouts. He allowed 10 hits, and three earned runs in the game and did enough to earn the victory (1-0). Juan Espinosa pitched in relief and earned a save by pitching the final 3 1/3 innings of the game. He allowed three earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts. 

Sonoma will now hit the road for a long nine game slate and will face all three teams in the Pacific Association. Sonoma will make their third trip of the season to Pittsburg to start the road trip off to face the Diamonds on Tuesday. They are an even 3-3 in games played against them so far. Gregory Paulino is scheduled to get the start Tuesday and has not faced Pittsburg yet this season. The Diamonds will be licking their wounds after getting swept by the San Rafael Pacifics over the weekend. 

Tickets for all Stompers home games are available on stompersbaseball.com. You may also purchase tickets, and team merchandise in The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street in Sonoma. If you have any questions contact us at info@stompersbaseball.com. 

Box Score

Offense Continues Success In 9-2 Win Over Admirals

Mark Hurley hit a 2 run home run in the game on Saturday in Sonoma's 9-2 victory.

Rick Bolen/Sonoma Stompers

Geoff Safford, Media Relations Assistant

The Sonoma Stompers’ bats have answered the bell so far this weekend by putting together two great performances at the plate. Their balanced attack provided ample offense on their way to a 9-2 victory over the Vallejo Admirals on Saturday. Starter Jose Flores turned in his best effort of the season by far on his way to his first win of the season for Sonoma. He had struggled in his previous two starts but looked like a different pitcher on Saturday. 

The Stompers offense was rolling from the start as they jumped to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Two straight RBI doubles by Derrick Fox and Joel Carranza were the highlights of the inning. Mason Morioka also chipped in with an RBI single to put Sonoma in the driver's seat.

Vallejo (7-10) made things a little interesting in the fourth as Lydell Moseby launched a two run bomb to left center field that silenced the home crowd and cut the Stomper lead to 3-2. However, that was the only blemish on Flores’ fantastic outing and was untouchable for the rest of the night. 

Sonoma’s offense gave Flores some more breathing room in the fifth with a four run rally to put the game on ice. The highlight of the inning was a two run homer by left fielder Mark Hurley. It was Hurley’s first of the season. When the dust settled at the end of the inning Sonoma had a 7-2 lead. That would be plenty for Flores and ‘ fireman’ Taylor Thurber. 

Flores looked like a different pitcher from his first two outings of the season. In those starts, he struggled with command and left Sonoma’s bullpen in tough spots because of early departures. Tonight however, the big righty silenced any doubters by blowing away the Admiral lineup. Flores allowed only two runs on six hits with no walks while striking out nine batters in six innings. Thurber came in to start the seventh and went the rest of the way. Thurber has been a great weapon out of the pen and picked up his second save of the season by getting the final nine outs. 

Sonoma (9-7) has a chance to pick up their first series sweep with a win Sunday on Father’s Day at People’s Home Equity Ballpark at Arnold Field. Sonoma is scheduled to give the ball to Oliver Garcia. Garcia has shown that he has some of the best strikeout stuff on the team when he is on. But Sonoma will look for him to go deeper into the ballgame this time out than he has in pervious outings. 

Tickets for Sunday’s game, and every home game this season are available on stompersbaseball.com. Tickets, and fan merchandise are also available for purchase at The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street in downtown Sonoma. If you have any questions contact us at info@stompersbaseball.com.

Box Score