Niko Pacheco rounds the bases after hitting his first processional home run in the third inning of the Sonoma Stompers game against the Vallejo Admirals, August 23, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.(James W. Toy III / Sonoma Stompers)
SONOMA, Calif. – The Sonoma Stompers’ offense erupted early Thursday night, as the Vallejo Admirals could not come back from a five first inning and Sonoma went on to win 13-5.
The Stompers took advantage of two Admirals errors in the first inning, as Brock Hartley brought home the game’s first run on an E6, then scored on a wild pitch.
Ryan Cooper then went on to clear the bases with a double, plating three more runs and advancing to third on an E4, providing a large lead after just one inning.
Niko Pacheco continued the scoring in the third, responding to Vallejo’s four-run inning with his first professional home run, a two-run shot with no outs that scored Bronson Butcher.
“It’s been a long time coming, it felt really good,” Pacheco said. “I got a fastball out over the plate and put a good swing on it and it flew over the fence.”
Sonoma didn’t stop there, sending 10 batters to the plate in the sixth, plating six runs and once again taking advantage of a Vallejo error.
Marcus Bradley singled home Cooper and Rayson Romero, then came around on a single from Hartley. Kevin Farley dashed home on a wild pitch and Butcher singled in two and advanced to second on an E3.
This lead was more than enough for Ethan Gibbons, who pitched six innings, allowing just two earned runs with three strikeouts.
Jason Seever, Cole Watts and Josepeh Broderick combined for three scoreless innings out of the bullpen with three strikeouts to keep Vallejo off the board for the remainder of the game.
Now 51-22, the Stompers now look to jump to 30 games above .500 and tie the franchise record for wins in a season of 52, which they set in 2017. The Admirals will play in Sonoma again Friday at 6:05 p.m.