June 11, 2019
SONOMA, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers put up a dozen runs in an offensive explosion over the Salina Stockade in the first of a four-game home stand on Tuesday night at Arnold Field.
Salina opened the scoring in the top of the second inning off of Stompers right-hander Nick Barnese (0-0). Barnese struggled with walks early in the ballgame and issued a bases-loaded walk to leadoff hitter Justin Byrd to drive in the first run of the game.
The Stompers answered quickly in the bottom half of the inning on Brock Hartley’s second home run of the season over the right field wall, a two-run shot to give the Stompers a 2-1 lead.
Hartley struck again in the bottom of the fourth inning when he drove in his third run of the game on a sacrifice fly to score Chris Kwitzer to extend the lead 3-1.
In the bottom of the sixth inning the Stompers scored once again. This time on a two-out bleeding single up the middle off the bat of Bronson Butcher, his first RBI of the year, extending the lead to 4-1.
Chip White (0-2) lasted six innings for Salina and was replaced by Erick Gaylord in the bottom half of the seventh inning who fared poorly.
Gaylord lasted only two thirds of an inning, all while allowing an RBI single to Kwitzer and a three-run home run to Jacob Barfield, his third of the season, inflating the lead to 8-1.
Adding to his already splendid night at the plate, Hartley ended his offensive night with an emphatic grand slam, his second homer of the game, on the first pitch he saw off of Ryan Doerr in the bottom of the eighth inning to blow the game wide open 12-1.
Hartley ended his night with an exclamation as he took the hill in the top of the ninth. The Stompers emergency reliever allowed one run in his pitching debut as he led the club to a 12-2 win over Salina.
The Stompers are at Arnold Field Wednesday through Friday this week and it’s little league night every night. So bring your little leaguer out and watch Stompers baseball.