Mike Jackson Jr. picked up his fourth win of the season with a complete game Saturday against the Admirals. Jackson Jr. allowed only three hits and struck out eight on only 95 pitches.
James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers
Geoff Safford, Media Relations Assistant
Mike Jackson Jr. threw nine innings on July 10 and got nothing to show for it. He received a no decision in the contest as the bullpen gave way in extra innings. The performance by Jackson Jr. on that Sunday evening was fantastic against the same team he faced Saturday at Wilson Park in Vallejo. Sonoma was looking to get in the win column in the second half after a disappointing loss Friday, and the veteran right-hander showed Saturday that his last performance was no fluke.
Jackson Jr. was as good as any Stomper pitcher has been all season in a complete game for the Stompers. He allowed only three hits on the night, walked one, and struck out eight in nine innings of masterful baseball. Sonoma’s offense gave him just enough support as the Stompers took game 2 of the series by a score of 3-1. Jackson Jr. threw 95 pitches on the night with 67 of those pitches for strikes.
Sonoma’s offenses only mustered three hits themselves on the night, but were opportunistic as they scored just enough to get by the Admirals. Sonoma took advantage of an error by second baseman Alian Silva to load the bases with one out in the fifth. Yuki Yasuda approached the plate with two away and hit a base hit into left field to score Mason Morioka and Derrick Fox to make it 3-0. Sonoma got on the board in the first inning thanks to a wild pitch by Marquis Hutchinson as Matt Hibbert raced home from third base.
The lone run on the night scored for the Admirals on an RBI groundout by Darian Sandford. Silva set up the inning with a lead off triple, and then scored with one out in the inning. But the Admirals were kept extremely quiet besides that against Jackson Jr. In a stretch from the end of the first to the fifth, Jackson Jr. retired 11 Admirals in a row. They only had five base runners total in the game.
The Stompers (24-17) can win the series with a victory tomorrow afternoon against the Admirals (16-25) at Wilson Park. Taylor Thurber is scheduled to get the start and has been very good since being moved into the rotation. The sidearmer is 2-0 with a 2.44 ERA in his two starts for the Stompers this season. He has yet to pitch against the Admirals in a starting role, but faced them three times out of the bullpen this season, including getting his first victory of the season in a memorable performance back on June 1.
Tickets for upcoming Stompers home games are available on StompersBaseball.com. Fan Merchandise, and tickets are also available for purchase inside The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street in downtown Sonoma. Contact the Stompers front office at info@stompersbaseball.com.