Tyler Sharp delivers in a pitch in the first inning of the Sonoma Stompers game against the San Rafael Pacifics, August 1, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif. (James W. Toy III / Sonoma Stompers)
BOX SCORE
SONOMA, Calif. – The Sonoma Stompers did not stop their roll Wednesday night, blanking the San Rafael Pacifics 6-0 for the team’s seventh straight win behind eight shutout innings from Tyler Sharp.
For the third time in his four Stomper starts, Sharp pitched eight innings and through those eight was outstanding, carving through the Pacifics’ order all night long. The right-hander retired the first eight hitters he faced and later nine straight, including 20 of the first 24 San Rafael batters that came to the plate.
Once again, he limited the opposing offense in every aspect, not allowing any runs on just five hits and one walk while striking out 11.
“That’s the goal, to do that everyday,” Sharp said. “Staying in my routine and feeling good every day that helps a lot.”
His ERA with the Stompers is just 0.30 over 29.1 inningss, with 27 strikeouts and six walks. Combining Sharp’s stats from outings with the Napa Silverados and Stompers, the South Lake Tahoe native leads the Pacific Association in ERA at 2.19.
Sharp’s batterymate Wednesday was the newest Sonoma Stomper, Ryan Cooper. Cooper was teammates with him in Napa and reciever for Sharp’s best start with the Silverados.
“We started clicking right in the pregame,” Cooper said. “Talked about how we’re going to go after the guys, stuck with it today and it looked like it worked out pretty well. It was a lot of fun.”
Cooper did reach base twice and scored a run but did not get a hit in his first start in Sonoma. Five Stompers, however, did record hits in the shutout victory. Rob DeAngelis went 3-5 and Kenny Meimerstorf went 2-4 with two runs batted in.
For the first six innings, Sonoma held on to a 2-0 lead thanks to a first inning single from Meimerstorf that scored Miles Williams and a passed ball in the fourth that scored Cooper.
Four walks and two hits in the seventh added insurance and three more hits in the eighth scored Marcus Bradley, more than enough cushion in the 6-0 win.
The shutout victory was the Stompers’ second in 2018, both having come in the previous eight days. It was also the first time the Pacifics had been shutout this season.
Now, the Stompers sit atop the Pacific Association standings, nine games ahead of the Vallejo Admirals and tied with San Rafael at 37-17. They’ve won seven straight, 9 of their last 10 and 20 of their last 24 games.
With momentum on their side, the navy and orange travel to Martinez for the final time this season for games Thursday and Friday against a Clippers team in the midst of their best stretch of 2018. First pitch for both games is at 6:30 p.m. from Joe DiMaggio Field at Waterfront Park.