VALLEJO, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers started the first of a 2-game series in Vallejo on Thursday night. After falling behind early, the Stompers attempted to make a comeback in the 9th but came up just short.
Konner Arnold (4-2) started for the Stompers and got two quick out to open the bottom of the 1st inning but Vlad Gomez back-spun an 0-1 pitch out to right field to open the scoring 1-0.
The Stompers answered with a solo home run in the top of the 2nd inning on Jacob Barfield’s 7th home run of the year to right-center field, tying it up 1-1.
Solo home runs continued to rain in the top of the 3rd inning when Rob DeAngelis and Dondrei Hubbard went back-to-back to straight away right field, taking the lead 3-1.
Vallejo shortstop inched the Admirals closer in the bottom of the 3rd inning with a sacrifice fly to center field to out Vallejo within one, 3-2.
The Admirals took the lead in the bottom of the 4th inning on a Graylin Derke 2-run bloop single to take a 4-3 lead.
For the third inning in a row the Admirals scored when they put up another run in the bottom of the 5th inning on a Matt Eureste solo blast to right, making it 5-3.
Zach Files tacked on another Vallejo run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 7th inning with a sacrifice fly to bring the Admirals lead to 6-3.
With runner at first and second with one out, Chris Kwitzer pinch-hit for Rayson Romero in the top of the 8th inning and lined an RBI single into right field to score Pedro Barrios and cut into the lead 6-4.
Vallejo extended the lead back to 3 runs on a Chris Fornaci RBI single down the right field line to score Derke and make the lead 7-4.
The Stompers tried to come all the way back in the top of the 9th, working 3 back and a hit batsman against closer Jake Ehret to drive in a run to make it 7-5 and knock Ehret out of the game. Harold Myles then came on for Vallejo and with nobody out and the bases loaded and got Bronson Butcher to pop out to shortstop for the first out. Kwitzer then hit a deep fly ball to center field for a sacrifice fly to knock in another run to make it 7-6 but that was all the Stompers could muster, falling one run short.
The Stompers are back in Vallejo in Friday night at 6:35 before returning home to end the weekend.