Miles Williams circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning of the Sonoma Stompers game against the San Rafael Pacifics, July 13, 2018. (James W. Toy III / Sonoma Stompers)
BOX SCORE
SONOMA, Calif. – Losers of two in a row, the Sonoma Stompers came out strong against the San Rafael Pacifics Friday night, scoring in the first inning and holding the lead all game long to get back on the right track and win 7-5.
Miles Williams’ offensive tear from the second spot in the batting order proved to be no fluke and he connected for his sixth home run of the week in that position, his 12th of the season in the first inning to put Sonoma up 2-0 with no outs.
Two-out singles from Kenny Meimerstorf and Marcus Bradley added runs in the second and third. Williams drove in two more on a two-out single in the fifth, adding insurance for the Stompers and giving them seven runs in the game.
“I’ve been seeing the ball pretty well, even on the swings that I’m missing,” Williams said. “I’m just trying to keep it as simple as possible.”
Seven runs was enough for the pitching staff, who limited San Rafael to five runs over the night.
Ethan Gibbons delivered yet another quality outing, his fifth in eight starts of seven innings, he struck out six and walked just one Pacific batter.
“The offense an early lead for me and never looked back, that’s key,” Gibbons said. “You can just go out there and do your thing.”
Cole Watts and Jacob Cox finished off the game, with Cox earning his league-leading 11th save of the year.
The Stompers travel to Martinez for a two-game series against the Martinez Clippers before returning to Sonoma for a four-game homestand next week.