Juan Espinosa delivers a pitch in the Sonoma Stompers game against the Vallejo Admirals, August 16, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.(James W. Toy III / Sonoma Stompers)
SONOMA, Calif. – After sweeping the Vallejo Admirals on the road, the Sonoma Stompers welcomed them into Palooza Park at Arnold field to kick off a four-game homestand and came out victorious for the third straight night, winning 5-1.
Juan Espinosa, making his 11th start of the season, pitching into the seventh inning, allowing just one run with seven strikeouts.
“My off-speed pitches were working really well,” Espinosa said. “Being able to come in and change speeds with the fastball really helped a lot.”
The Admirals loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning, and Jason Seever took over for Espinosa, stranding the bases loaded and pitching another scoreless inning with a strikeout.
Sonoma gave their starting pitcher early run support, initially from Kenny Meimerstorf. The left fielder led off the second and fourth innings with home runs, setting the franchise’s single-season record for not only home runs, but runs batted in as well.
“I was just trying to have good ABs, attack, attack, attack,” Meimerstorf said. “When you get a pitch and you’re in attack mode around the plate, you can do damage. Just find a barrel and good things happen.”
He leads the team and is second in the league in both categories, with 21 and 66 respectively.
Sonoma added two more runs in the fourth on an RBI groundout from Brock Hartley, as well as an error that later scored Kevin Farley.
Meimerstorf collected his third hit of the day on a double in the fifth inning that scored the Stompers’ fifth and final run of the game.
Now winners of three straight, as well as nine straight games at Arnold Field, the Stompers sit 25 games above .500 and look to continue their success with the Pittsburg Diamonds coming to Sonoma for a 6:05 p.m. game Friday evening.