SAN RAFAEL, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers traveled to San Rafael on Friday night to try and get back to their winning ways but the pitching was subpar and the Pacifics took advantage.
Vijay Patel (2-1) started for Manager Zack Pace but struggled with location throughout his start as the walks piled up.
San Rafael put up a pair of runs in the bottom of the 1st inning on RBI doubles from Axel Johnson and Ermindo Escobar to give the Pacifics an early lead.
The Stompers fired right back in the top of the 2nd inning on a pair of solo home runs from Brent Gillespie and Jacob Barfield to tie the game 2-2.
Patel walked the bases loaded in the last of the 2nd inning and Markus Montelongo cashed them all in on one swing with a bases clearing single, giving San Rafael a 5-2 lead.
It was a night of solo homers for the Stompers as Rob DeAngelis mashed his 3rd of the season to straight away right field, inching the Stompers closer 5-3.
Pedro Barrios led off the top of the 4th inning with a walk and Barfield got plunked to put a man in scoring position. With 2 outs, Nick Gotta got the first Stompers hit with a runner in scoring position to score Barrios and make it just a 1-run game, 5-4.
Patel walked 3 more Pacifics in the bottom of the 4th inning and allowed 3 runs on a pair of singles to give San Rafael an 8-4 lead before exiting after just 3 1/3 innings. Patel ended allowing 8 runs on just 4 hits while walking 7 and striking out only 4. Willie Ethington came on in relief and finished the 4th inning.
With Ethington still on the mound, San Rafael scored 5 more in the bottom of the 5th inning, the big hit a Corey Dempster grand slam to cap off the big inning, increasing the deficit 13-4.
Dondrei Hubbard increased his hitting streak to 18 games with a leadoff double in the top of the 8th inning. He later score on a passed ball, making it 13-5.
Dempster hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the 8th, a solo shot making the score 14-5.
The Stompers started a comeback in the top of the 9th, scoring 4 times but it was not enough as they drop their second straight game by a final of 14-9.
The Stompers are back home on Saturday night at 6:05 against the Napa Silverados. It’s Pride Night and tickets are going fast. Get yours now at stompersbaseball.com.