First baseman Daniel Baptista hit 2 home runs with one of them being a grand slam off Jose Canseco in a 13-2 win over the Diamonds. Baptista finished 2 for 5 with six runs driven in.
James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers
Geoff Safford, Media Relations Assistant
The Stompers proved early on Saturday that they would not have a hangover from the shutout loss Friday to the Pittsburg Diamonds. Starting pitcher Jose Canseco was ineffective and did not make it through the first inning, recording only one out as Sonoma tacked on nine runs in the first and cruised to a 13-2 win over the Diamonds.
14 batters came to the plate for the Stompers in the first inning, tying a franchise record, and the nine runs scored are the second most in an inning in team history, only one behind their 10-run second inning against this same Diamonds team in an 18-4 win on June 3.
The big blow in the inning was a grand slam by Daniel Baptista, the second grand slam the Stompers have had in the last two weeks. That was not all for the big first baseman, as he launched a two run home run in the third inning to put the Stompers into double digit runs. Baptista was 2 for 5, finishing with a season-high six driven in, the most runs driven in by a Stomper this season. After his homer against Canseco, Baptista couldn't believe it until after he crossed home plate.
“It did not hit me that I hit a home run off of Canseco until I got back to the dugout. It really was a crazy feeling,” Baptista said. “I will always be able to say that I hit a home run off of Jose Canseco.”
The Stompers offense was not the only thing that was clicking on all cylinders, as Oliver Garcia turned in a fantastic effort to pick up his fourth win of the season. Garcia allowed only four hits and struck out a season-high 11 batters on the night, one shy of the franchise mark shared by three Stomper hurlers. Garcia was in control of all his pitches and kept the Diamonds hitters off-balanced all night long, a great bounce back after only 3 1/3 innings against Pittsburg this past Sunday.
The rubber match of the series between the Stompers (38-27, 15-11 second half) and the Diamonds (29-36, 10-16 second half) will feature a start by Gregory Paulino (4-4 3.83 ERA) as he facing off against Ricky Schafer (1-6 5.94 ERA). Sonoma trails the San Rafael Pacifics (37-28, 16-10 second half) by one game in the Pacific Association second half standings and need a win to keep the pressure on the Pacifics in this tight race over the last 13 games of the season.
Tickets for upcoming Stompers games are available. Sunday’s game will be the last opportunity to see Jose Canseco in Sonoma this season and tickets for the game are still available. Fan Merchandise and tickets are also available inside The Fan Shop located at 234 West Napa Street in downtown Sonoma. For more information about the team, contact the Stompers at info@stompersbaseball.com.