Scott David (left) and Brennan Metzger (right) both homered in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Vallejo Admirals at Wilson Park, putting the Sonoma Stompers in a tie for first place. (James W. Toy III / Sonoma Stompers)
Hayley M. Slye / Director of Media Relations
SONOMA, Calif.– The Sonoma Stompers Professional Baseball Club, presented by Virginia Dare Winery, took victory in a critical series against the Vallejo Admirals with a 6-4 win Sunday, leaving the weekend tied for first place in the Pacific Association with three games left to play.
Sonoma starter Ty’Relle Harris gave a strong effort, pitching five and one-thirds scoreless innings and allowing just four hits.
“(Catcher Daniel Comstock) was working for me today,” Ninth-year professional Harris said. “I got outs, but you have (center fielder Matt Hibbert) out there running down fly balls, (third baseman Masa Miyadera) making great defensive plays, (left-fielder Brennan Metzger) running down balls for me, you got the guys saving me… I stayed comfortable because of the guy behind the dish.”
His single earned run came on a sac fly after he had been replaced by Logan Gillespie in the sixth. The run was Vallejo’s only one until the eighth.
“(Ty’Relle) is our guy. I knew, coming into today, especially after last night’s win, we had a good chance to win,” Comstock said.
Brennan Metzger hit his third home run in two days. Coming into the series, Metzger had hit just three on the season. His homer sent three of the runs in a four-run third inning home.
“It’s just amazing. At a time when we need a big hit like that, (Metzger) keeps hitting. Hopefully, he can continue to do that,” said manager Takashi Miyoshi.
In the fifth, Scott David put one over the fence in right to make the score 5-0. David went 4-5 and scored two runs.
The Admirals did not go down quietly. In the eighth, a two-run single from David Kiriakos off of reliever Jacob Cox put the game within two runs. Cox came up with two strikeouts and a groundout to limit the damage.
In the ninth, pinch-hitter Marcus Bradley singled and came around to score an insurance run for the Stompers, breaking a 13-game scoreless streak for Admirals closer Sammy Gervacio. Down to their last three outs, Vallejo faced three different Stompers bullpen arms and scored a run of their own.
In the event of a tie at the end of gameplay Thursday, the Admirals win the second half due to a better head-to-head record. If the Stompers do not win the second half, a championship game will be held in Sonoma on Sept. 1 at 7:05 p.m.
“I just told the boys after the game ended, I’m just going to worry about the next game, one pitch at a time, one player at a time, one at bat at a time,” Miyoshi said. “That’s how we have to play the last three games.”
Tickets for a possible championship game and Stompers merchandise are available now either online or at the fan shop at 234 W Napa Street in downtown Sonoma. For more information, please contact the front office at 707-938-7277, or email info@stompersbaseball.com.