(James W. Toy III / Sonoma Stompers)
MARTINEZ, Calif. – The Sonoma Stompers fell to the Martinez Clippers Friday night by a score of 7-5, ending their longest win streak of the season at eight games.
Martinez, the last team to beat the Stompers before their win streak began, struck Vijay Patel for 11 hits over the first six innings, however the right-hander limited them to five runs in that time, four of which came in the first two innings.
Patel settled into a groove after the second inning but after experiencing trouble in the seventh inning, Jason Seever entered the game and pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
The Stompers offense tied the score at four in the fifth with Kenny Meimerstorf’s 17th home run of the year, but struggled to connect with the big hit, leaving nine runners on base.
Kevin Farley walked Meimerstorf home in the fourth, Marcus Bradley scored on a wild pitch in the fifth and Kam Stewart scored on an error in the eighth, but Matti Doxter retired all four Stompers he faced at the end of the game to earn a save.
The Stompers conclude their three-game road trip with a game in against the San Rafael Pacifics. Sonoma still leads San Rafael by one game in the standings as both teams lost Friday.