Eddie Mora-Loera was one bright spot in a 3-1 loss to the Pacifics. Mora-Loera finished 2 for 3 on Wednesday night.
James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers
Geoff Safford, Media Relations Assistant
When a pitching staff allows only three hits in a game, like the Stompers staff did on Wednesday, that team usually wins. On top of that, the Stompers staff allowed only one earned run against their rivals in the San Rafael Pacifics. However, a few miscues defensively and a quiet offensive night led to a 3-1 loss.
A throwing error made by Mason Morioka in the fifth proved to be a very costly one as it led to two unearned runs in the inning, giving the Pacifics a 3-0 lead. Stompers starter Oliver Garcia also walked two batters in the inning to fuel the rally for the Pacifics. The other run in the game came on a homer to left center by Jake Taylor in the fourth, his ninth of the season. Taylor went 2 for 4 with two runs driven in. Jourdan Weiks was the only other Pacifics batter that had a hit in the game.
Patrick Barnett went the distance for the Pacifics, allowing eight hits and no walks while striking out four. Barnett was extremely aggressive coming after Stompers hitters, but the Stompers consistently let Barnett work ahead in the count and that was a huge advantage for him. Barnett faced 33 batters and threw 24 first pitch strikes to those batters. 23 of those pitches were fastballs. Even with Barnett challenging the Stompers hitters, Sonoma only swung at six first pitch strikes. Barnett threw 78 of 110 pitches for strikes overall.
Sonoma scored its only run in the sixth on an RBI single by Joel Carranza. Eddie Mora-Loera had another good night at the plate finishing 2 for 3. Mora-Loera is now 4 for 7 in the first two games of the series. Caleb Bryson also continued his success at the plate in the series with his second consecutive 2 for 4 performance.
Stomper newcomer Evan Neiser was fantastic with two perfect innings out of the pen, as his deceptive delivery helped keep the Pacifics off balance. Neiser signed with the Stompers after participating in the midseason tryout on July 23. Neiser may be the diamond in the rough the Stompers were looking for.
The rubber match of this series will be very important for the moral of this club. The comeback victory Tuesday seemed to give The Stompers a lot of momentum. But a series defeat would be deflating after that performance. Sonoma (27-23, 4-7 second half) also needs a win to stay within striking distance of the Pacifics (29-21, 8-4 second half) in the second half pennant race. Gregory Paulino will start on the mound for the Stompers.
Tickets for upcoming home games are available on stompersbaseball.com. Fan gear, and tickets are also available inside The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street in Sonoma. For more information, contact the Stompers front office at info@stompersbaseball.com.
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