Taylor Thurber had an amazing night on the mound in relief for the Stompers.
James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers
Geoff Safford, Media Relations Assistant
The Sonoma Stompers bounced back from a disappointing opening night loss to the Vallejo Admirals with a nail biting 6-5 victory at Wilson Park. The win for Sonoma was the first of this young season for the Stompers.
The star of the evening for Sonoma was right-hander Taylor Thurber as he picked up the win for Sonoma in relief of starter Oliver Garcia. He was sensational in his 4 1/3 innings of work that featured seven strikeouts and only two hits allowed. Thurber’s best stretch came in innings six through eight as he retired nine batters in a row.
Thurber ran into a little trouble in the ninth after a lead off double by Wilfred Petit and a walk to Gadiel Baez. But Thurber kept his cool in the tense situation by striking out the final two hitters of the game with runners at second and third to preserve the win.
The Stompers had a much better night at the plate, and did just enough to bring home their first win of the season. The Stompers showed great patience and drew 7 walks as a team in the game. Sonoma also had eight hits.
Shortstop Derrick Fox chipped in with a great night offensively by reaching base every time he came to the plate. He finished with two hits, a walk, and was also hit by a pitch twice after going 0-for-5 in game one of the series. Matt Petrone was the lead run contributor in the game thanks in part to a two-run home run that sailed over the right field fence in the fifth inning. Petrone also got credit for an RBI when he drew a walk with the bases loaded in the third inning.
The Stompers can take the series with a victory in the finale tomorrow night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 at Wilson Park in Vallejo. The Stompers will hand the ball to a familiar face from the 2015 squad, as Gregory Paulino will get the nod. Paulino led the Stompers pitching staff in wins, strikeouts, and complete games in 2015. He finished 8-4 with a 3.76 ERA last season.
Opening night in Sonoma will be on June 7 at People’s Home Equity Ball Park at Arnold Field. The Stompers will open a three game set against Admirals. First pitch from Sonoma is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Tickets for opening night, and every game this season, are available on stompersbaseball.com. Both tickets and Stompers merchandise are also available at The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street in downtown Sonoma. For more information, please email info@stompersbaseball.com or call (707) 938-7277.