STOMPERS GET TIMELY HITS, BULLPEN SLAMS DOOR IN 4-2 WIN

VALLEJO, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers finished their quick two-game series in Vallejo on Friday night with Vijay Patel taking the mound for the first time against Vallejo since tying the strikeout record the last time he squared off against the Admirals.

Patel (3-1) did not allow a base hit until the bottom of the 4th inning when Nick Akins Sr. top-spinned  a solo home run to straight away left field for the first Vallejo hit and the first run of the game for either side.

Vallejo got one more in the bottom of the 5th inning on a Vlad Gomez 2-out RBI double to extend the Admiral lead 2-0.

With Patel on the hook and likely coming out of the game, his offense got him right back into the game in the  top of the 6th inning. Rob DeAngelis led off with a double down the left field line to start things off. With one out Chris Kwitzer launched his 4th home run of the season to dead-center field to tie the game 2-2.

Patel went back out and finished with 6 innings, allowing just 2 runs, 1 earned, on 6 hits while striking out 9.

The Stompers took their first lead of the game in the top of the 7th inning when Rayson Romero hit a sky-scraping home run to left, his 1st of the season, giving the Stompers a 3-2 lead. A pair of walks to Nick Gotta and Miles Williams out pressure on the Admirals defense. DeAngelis hit a grounder to Fornaci at second base who threw it away, allowing Gotta to score and giving the Stompers an insurance run, 4-2. 

Willie Ethington, Connor Leedholm and Ryan Richardson all faced the minimum to slam the door and give Richardson his 5th save in 5 attempts.

The Stompers improve to 22-8 on the season and remain 3.5 games ahead of San Rafael.

The Stompers are home Saturday night at 6:05 for Autism Awareness Night and once again on Sunday afternoon at 1:05.

STOMPERS CANNOT COMPLETE COMEBACK, FALL 7-6 IN VALLEJO LATE

VALLEJO, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers started the first of a 2-game series in Vallejo on Thursday night. After falling behind early, the Stompers attempted to make a comeback in the 9th but came up just short. 

Konner Arnold (4-2) started for the Stompers and got two quick out to open the bottom of the 1st inning but Vlad Gomez back-spun an 0-1 pitch out to right field to open the scoring 1-0.

The Stompers answered with a solo home run in the top of the 2nd inning on Jacob Barfield’s 7th home run of the year to right-center field, tying it up 1-1.

Solo home runs continued to rain in the top of the 3rd inning when Rob DeAngelis and Dondrei Hubbard went back-to-back to straight away right field, taking the lead 3-1. 

Vallejo shortstop inched the Admirals closer in the bottom of the 3rd inning with a sacrifice fly to center field to out Vallejo within one, 3-2.

The Admirals took the lead in the bottom of the 4th inning on a Graylin Derke 2-run bloop single to take a 4-3 lead. 

For the third inning in a row the Admirals scored when they put up another run in the bottom of the 5th inning on a Matt Eureste solo blast to right, making it 5-3. 

Zach Files tacked on another Vallejo run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 7th inning with a sacrifice fly to bring the Admirals lead to 6-3.

With runner at first and second with one out, Chris Kwitzer pinch-hit for Rayson Romero in the top of the 8th inning and lined an RBI single into right field to score Pedro Barrios and cut into the lead 6-4. 

Vallejo extended the lead back to 3 runs on a Chris Fornaci RBI single down the right field line to score Derke and make the lead 7-4.

The Stompers tried to come all the way back in the top of the 9th, working 3 back and a hit batsman against closer Jake Ehret to drive in a run to make it 7-5 and knock Ehret out of the game. Harold Myles then came on for Vallejo and with nobody out and the bases loaded and got Bronson Butcher to pop out to shortstop for the first out. Kwitzer then hit a deep fly ball to center field for a sacrifice fly to knock in another run to make it 7-6 but that was all the Stompers could muster, falling one run short. 

The Stompers are back in Vallejo in Friday night at 6:35 before returning home to end the weekend.

STOMPERS CRUISE TO 7-1 VICTORY OVER SALINA

SONOMA, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers avenged their 4th of July loss to Salina on Wednesday night behind the right arm of Nick Barnese (4-0).

Salina got on the board first in the top of the 3rd inning when leadoff batter Justin Byrd took Barnese deep the other way, giving the Stockade a 1-0 lead. 

The Stompers offense sputtered the first time through against Neil Lang (2-2), but gained traction in the bottom of the 4th inning. 

Nick Gotta led off the inning with a base hit back up the middle, the first of the game for the Stompers. Miles Williams followed with an opposite-field blast, hit 5thhomer of the season, putting the Stompers up 2-1. But the offense did not cease there.

Rob DeAngelis and Dondrei Hubbard collected back-to-back singles and Brent Gillespie drove them both home with a laser double down the right field line, increasing the lead 4-1. Later in the inning, Pedro Barrios hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Gillespie and cap off the 5-run inning which put the Stompers ahead 5-1.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, Daniel Molinari and Barrios notched back-to-back hits and were both moved up on a groundout by Rayson Romero. With one out, Michael Pope balked to bring Molinari home to make it 6-1. 

Barnese impressed once again with 6, 1-run innings while allowing just 5 hits and striking out 7. Well on his way to his 4th win of the season.

The Stompers tacked on one more for good measure in the bottom of the 7th on a Hubbard single to score Gotta and make it 7-1. 

Pat Barnett, Willie Ethington, and Ethan Gibbons tossed 3 shutout innings to close the game out and give the Stompers the win to improve their record to 21-7, 3.5 games ahead of San Rafael. 

The Stompers are in Vallejo Thursday and Friday but will be back home Saturday for Autism Awareness Night at 6:05 and on Sunday for the first home day-game of the season at 1:05.

Tickets can be purchased at stompersbaseball.com.

STOMPERS GET AHEAD EARLY AND STAY AHEAD OF SAN RAFAEL 8-4

SONOMA, Calif- The first place Sonoma Stompers went toe-to-toe with second place San Rafael on Tuesday night and early runs proved to be the difference.

After Stompers pitcher Henry Omana was called up on Tuesday, new starter Joseph Broderick (1-0) made the trip up to Palooza Park at Arnold Field, a place he called home in 2018, to start on the hill for Manager Zack Pace. 

Broderick got a rude awakening to the Pacific Association in 2019 as Raul Navarro homered on the first pitch of the game to give San Rafael an early 1-0 lead. Broderick went on to retire the next 7 hitters in a row. 

The Stompers responded in the bottom of the 1st inning when Nick Gotta worked his league-leading 36thwalk of the season against San Rafael right-hander Chip White (2-2). Miles Williams singled and Rob DeAngelis walked to load the bases for Dondrei Hubbard who flied out to right field, but not deep enough to score the run.Brent Gillespie drove in a run when he reached on a fielder’s choice to drive in Gotta and tie the game 1-1. 

After a pair of walks in the bottom of the 2nd inning put 2 men on, Williams mashed his 4th home run of the season over the scoreboard in left-center field to give the Stompers a 4-1 lead which they would not give back. 

The offense continued in the bottom of the 3rd inning, this time all with 2 outs. Pedro Barrios walked and Bronson Butcher singled to put 2 men on. Rayson Romero then collected his first RBI of the season on a double down the left field line to score Barrios and increase the lead 5-1. Still with 2 out, Gotta looped a 2-run double down the left field line to make it 7-1 after 3 innings. 

San Rafael got one more in the top of the 6thinning on Navarro’s 2nd home run of the game to make the score 7-2. 

In the top of the 7th Broderick allowed 2 more runs when Navarro laced a single into right-center, inching San Rafael even closer 7-4.

In his first start with the club in 2019, Broderick lasted 7 innings while allowing 4 runs on 9 hits and striking out 7, well on his way to a win. 

Luke Laurita came in to start the top of the 8th inning but after 2 men got on, Pace went to the bullpen to bring on Connor Leedholm. 

Leedholm got Lunardelli to strikeout, Escobar to pop out, and Annone to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the inning without allowing a run. 

The Stompers tacked on one more in the last of the 8thinning on a Gotta RBI single to score Romero and send the game to the 9th 8-4. 

Ryan Richardson came on in a non-save situation and stuck out the side to end the ballgame and give the Stompers a record of 20-7.

The Stompers are back home Wednesday night against the Salina Stockade. It’s Wine Night and tickets are going fast. Purchase yours at stompersbaseball.com.

STOMPERS PROMOTE HENRY OMAÑA TO BRAVOS DE LEÓN

SONOMA, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers have promoted right-handed pitcher Henry Omaña to Bravos de León in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, where he will be playing side by side with former major leaguers.

“We’re extremely excited for Henry,” GM Brett Creamer said. "And we’ll be following along his journey while he continues to peruse his dreams. “

The Walnut, CA native joined the Stompers at the beginning of the season and is in his third year of professional baseball.

In his five starts, Omaña has pitched 27 innings while striking out 36 batters and posting a 1.33 ERA.

Before starting his career in professional baseball, Omaña played collegiately two years at Cal State Fullerton before transferring to Cal Poly Pomona.

To purchase Stompers tickets and to find more information about the team, visit stompersbaseball.com, call us at (707) 938-7277 or send an email to info@stompersbaseball.com.

STOMPERS COMPLETE 7-RUN COMEBACK, DEFEAT NAPA 11-9

SONOMA, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers took the field on Saturday Night celebrating Pride Night in front of another huge crowd at Palooza Park at Arnold Field. 

Jacob Cox (1-0) took the mound for only the second start of his career. This time, against Napa, he struggled finding the strike zone early on. 

Three walks and an error in the top of the 1st inning led to three Napa runs, giving them an early lead against a Stompers team that has been struggling over the first week of July. 

Napa got 3 more runs in the top of the 2nd inning on a Josh Montelongo 3-run home run to double the lead, 6-0. 

Cox was taken out of the game in the top of the 2nd inning, allowing all 6 runs, just 2 earned, while walking 5 and striking out just 1. Ethan Gibbons (1-2) came on and needed just 3 pitches to end the 2nd inning mercifully. 

The Silverados got their first run off of Gibbons in the top of the third on an RBI double from Johnny Knight to give Napa a 7-0 lead.

The Stompers offense came alive in the bottom of the third inning against Napa right-hander Edward Perez (1-2). Rayson Romero and Nick Gotta opened the inning with back-to-back walks and Miles Williams was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Rob DeAngelis then hit a 2-run double to put the Stompers on the board 7-2. Dondrei Hubbard followed with a 2-run single into centerfield to inch the Stompers closer 7-4. Brent Gillespie singled to put runners at the corners and Pedro Barrios bounced into a fielder’s choice to force Gillespie out at second but it scored Hubbard making it 7-5. 

With still nobody out, Jacob Barfield doubled down the left field line to put 2 men in scoring position for Daniel Molinari who singled through the right side, scoring Barrios and Barfield, tying the game 7-7. Perez exited the game for Andrew Fernandez who stopped the bleeding but not soon enough as the Stompers had tied it up. 

The offense picked up where it left off in the bottom of the 4th inning. with one out, Hubbard and Gillespie drew back-to-back walks to put 2 men on. Barrios then grounded into a fielder’s choice, forcing Gillespie out at second, putting runners at the corners. Barfield then delivered his second double of the night, this one a 2-run double, giving the Stompers their first lead of the game, 9-7. Molinari then drove in his 3rd run of the night with a base hit to score Barfield to make it 10-7 Stompers. 

With 2 outs, Gotta hit a bouncer between first and second base which Malvin Nunez, the second baseman, fielded but his throw to first was wild, allowing Molinari to score and the Stompers to add on 11-7. 

Napa scored twice more in the top of the 6th inning off Gibbons on a 2-run single by Nick Ultch, narrowing the Stompers lead 11-9 at which it would stay.

Connor Leedholm tossed 2 1/3 innings of 1-hit ball out of the bullpen, paving the way for the Stompers closer Ryan Richardson in the top of the 9th.

Richardson hit the first man he faced to bring the tying run to the plate in the 9th. In a 1-1 count, Nico Toni grounded into a 5-4-3 double play for the first two outs. Richardson then walked Bethancourt but got Knight to flyout to Williams to right to end the game.

The Stompers end their 2-game skid with an 11-9 win over Napa in convincing fashion, after coming back from down 7 runs.

The Stompers are back home at Palooza Park at Arnold Field on Tuesday night, 6:05 first pitch. Tickets can be purchased at stompersbaseball.com. 

STOMPERS DROP SECOND STRAIGHT IN 14-9 LOSS IN SAN RAFAEL

SAN RAFAEL, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers traveled to San Rafael on Friday night to try and get back to their winning ways but the pitching was subpar and the Pacifics took advantage.

Vijay Patel (2-1) started for Manager Zack Pace but struggled with location throughout his start as the walks piled up.

San Rafael put up a pair of runs in the bottom of the 1st inning on RBI doubles from Axel Johnson and Ermindo Escobar to give the Pacifics an early lead. 

The Stompers fired right back in the top of the 2nd inning on a pair of solo home runs from Brent Gillespie and Jacob Barfield to tie the game 2-2. 

Patel walked the bases loaded in the last of the 2nd inning and Markus Montelongo cashed them all in on one swing with a bases clearing single, giving San Rafael a 5-2 lead. 

It was a night of solo homers for the Stompers as Rob DeAngelis mashed his 3rd of the season to straight away right field, inching the Stompers closer 5-3.

Pedro Barrios led off the top of the 4th inning with a walk and Barfield got plunked to put a man in scoring position. With 2 outs, Nick Gotta got the first Stompers hit with a runner in scoring position to score Barrios and make it just a 1-run game, 5-4. 

Patel walked 3 more Pacifics in the bottom of the 4th inning and allowed 3 runs on a pair of singles to give San Rafael an 8-4 lead before exiting after just 3 1/3 innings. Patel ended allowing 8 runs on just 4 hits while walking 7 and striking out only 4. Willie Ethington came on in relief and finished the 4th inning. 

With Ethington still on the mound, San Rafael scored 5 more in the bottom of the 5th inning, the big hit a Corey Dempster grand slam to cap off the big inning, increasing the deficit 13-4.

Dondrei Hubbard increased his hitting streak to 18 games with a leadoff double in the top of the 8th inning. He later score on a passed ball, making it 13-5.

Dempster hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the 8th, a solo shot making the score 14-5.

The Stompers started a comeback in the top of the 9th, scoring 4 times but it was not enough as they drop their second straight game by a final of 14-9.

The Stompers are back home on Saturday night at 6:05 against the Napa Silverados. It’s Pride Night and tickets are going fast. Get yours now at stompersbaseball.com.

STOMPERS BREAK 4TH OF JULY ATTENDANCE RECORD WITH 1,230

SONOMA, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers hoped for an early celebration in front of a sellout crowd of 1,230 at Palooza Park at Arnold Field but Salina took advantage of mistakes early to come out with a 7-4 win. 

Konner Arnold (4-1) got hit around in the top of the 2nd inning and defensive struggles made the inning tougher for the right-hander. 

The inning started with a ground ball to Pedro Barrios which he could not handle off the bat of Zane Gelphman, allowing him to reach. Then with one out, Eric Kozak launched a 2-run home run to left to give Salina an early 2 run advantage. Back-to-back-to-back RBI hits from Justin Byrd, Omar Artsen, and Louis Martini brought in 3 more runs for a 5-run inning for the Stockade. Putting the Stompers in an early deficit. 

In the top of the 4th inning, Cody Bishop hit an opposite field home run to lead off the inning, increasing the Salina lead to 6-0.

Neil Lang (1-1) retired the first 10 hitters he faced as he was perfect through 3 1/3 innings before allowing a base hit to Miles Williams in the bottom of the 4th inning. with 2 outs, Dondrei Hubbard hit a no-doubt missile to left field to put the Stompers on the board but still trailing 6-2.

In the top of the 8th inning, Bishop went to the opposite field again for his second home run of the game, making it 7-2. 

In the home half of the inning, Nick Gotta increased his on base streak to all 23 games he’s played in with a solo homer to right, cutting into the lead 7-3.

The Stompers tried to mount a comeback in the bottom of the 9th and had the bases loaded with just one out but were only able to score one run, coming up short 7-4.

The Stompers are on the road on Friday in San Rafael at 6:30 but are home again Saturday night for pride night at 6:05. 

STOMPERS OUT-SLUG ADMIRALS IN OFFENSIVE BOUT, 15-10

VALLEJO, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers kept their win streak alive at 6 with an offensive shootout against the Admirals on Wednesday night. 

Vallejo opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st inning after opening the ballgame with back-to-back singles off of Stompers right-hander Nick Barnese (3-0). An error and a couple of wild pitches allowed the Admirals to put up 3 runs to take the lead after the 1stinning. 

The Stompers offense responded in the top of the second inning when Pedro Barrios launched  3-run home run to straight away center field off of Vallejo’s tall right-hander Carl Brice (2-3), tying the game 3-3. 

Vallejo came back with two more runs in the bottom of the 2ndinning to take the lead right back 5-3.

Jacob Barfield brought the Stompers within 1 run on a sacrifice fly, scoring Chris Kwitzer and making it 5-4.

The Stompers took their first lead of the ballgame in the top of the 5thinning when Dondrei Hubbard annihilated his league-leading 9th homerun of the season to centerfield, tying the game at 5-5. 

The offense came alive in the top of the 6thinning, starting with a Hubbard RBI double to make it 6-5. Kwitzer then came up and crushed a no-doubt 3-run homer to right field to crack the game wide open 9-5. Brent Gillepsie followed with a solo shot of his own, going back-to-back with Chris to tack on one more, 10-5. 

Vallejo answered with a pair of runs in the last of the 6thinning on a Jacob Wark sacrifice fly and a Vlad Gomez RBI groundout to cut into the deficit, 10-7.

Three more runs were put up by the Stompers in the top of the 7th inning on a 2-run double off the bat of Hubbard, making it 12-7, and giving Hubbard his 4th RBI of the game. Kwitzer then followed the Hubbard double with one of his own, extending the lead 13-7. 

Vallejo answered with 3 of their own in the home half of the 7thinning, this time against Ethan Gibbons. Chevy Clarke roped an RBI double down the right-field line and Wark hit a 2-run home run to close the gap 13-10. 

The Stompers tacked on two more runs in the top of the 8th when Miles Williams scored on a wild pitch and Hubbard drove in his 5th of the game with a sacrifice fly, making it 15-10.

Ryan Richardson slammed the door in the 9th, notching a pair of strikeouts to solidify the win.

The Stompers are now 18-5 and take on the Salina Stockade on July 4th at Palooza Park at Arnold Field. 

STOMPERS WIN 5TH STRAIGHT BEHIND OMANA’S GEM IN 6-1 WIN OVER NAPA

SONOMA, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers improved to a Pacific Association best 17-5 on Tuesday night with clutch hitting and even better pitching.

Henry Omana (3-1) was a big factor in the team’s success, dealing on the mound. Omana had no hits against him through the first 6 innings before allowing just a pair of singles in the top of the 7th. Omana ended his night after 7 shutout innings, allowing just 2 hits while striking out 9.

The Stomper offense gave Omana some run support in the bottom of the 1stinning against Silverados right-hander Sean Johnson (1-3). Nick Gotta fell behind 0-2 before drawing a leadoff walk to get things started. Ron DeAngelis reached on an error by Johnson and Dondrei Hubbard made him pay with a 3-run blast to left-center field, putting the Stompers ahead early 3-0.

In the bottom of the 7thinning Brent Gillespie walked and Bronson Butcher was hit by a pitch to open the inning, knocking Johnson out of the game. Devontae Glenn then came on for Napa and allowed an RBI single to Nick Kern, a sacrifice fly to Miles Williams, and Kern scored on a Glenn wild pitch to cap off the 3-run 7th, extending the lead to 6-0. 

Willie Ethington (1-0) tossed a scoreless 8th and Luke Laurita came in to pitch the 9thin which he did allow a solo home run to Josh Montelongo but that was all as the Stompers won 6-1.

The Stompers are now 17-5 and lead the Pacific Association by 4.5 games ahead of the San Rafael Pacifics. 

The Stompers are home again on July 4th, you can purchase tickets at stompersbaseball.com.