SONOMA, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers set the single-game run record on August 4th against Salina in a 21-8 victory. They blew past that record on Saturday night in a 30-5 obliteration of the Napa Silverados, setting the new record in a game which many had never seen a score of its kind.
Nick Barnese (7-1) took the mound for the Stompers, trying to tie teammate Vijay Patel and Vallejo’s Dakota Freese for most wins in the Pacific Association.
Napa got to Barnese in the top of the 2nd inning when Nick Ultsch led off the inning with a double and later scored on Toni’s RBI hit. 2 more runs came in on Willie Salas’ 2-run single to give Napa an early 3-0 lead.
The Stompers got on the board in the bottom of the 3rd inning against Napa starter Eric Gleese (1-1). With 1 out, Rayson Romero walked and Matt Hibbert singled. Nick Gotta drew a walk to load the bases and a wild pitch brought Romero home to make it 3-1. Jacob Barfield then walked to load the bases and with Chris Kwitzer at the plate another wild pitch brought Hibbert home to tighten the score 3-2. With runners at 2nd and 3rd now, Kwitzer unloaded on a 1-0 pitch to center for a 2-run triple, giving the Stompers a 4-3 lead. Kwitzer then scored on Brent Gillespie’s sacrifice fly to cap off a 5-run 3rd inning, giving the Stompers a 5-3 lead.
The offense was just getting started for the Stompers. In the bottom of the 5th inning Gotta led off the inning with a base hit. After 2 quick outs, Gillespie drove Gotta home with a single into right field, upping the lead 6-3. Pedro Barrios walked and Nick Kern was hit by a pitch to load the bases. On 3-2, Bronson Butcher launched a grand slam off the light standard in left-center field, blowing the game wide open 10-3.
The Napa bullpen took over after Gleese went just 4 2/3 innings and allowed 9 runs on 4 hits.
In the bottom of the 6th inning the slaughtering continued. After 2 quick outs again, Kwitzer walked and Gillespie launched a tape-measure homer to right-center to bring the lead to 12-3. Barrios then collected a single and Kern joined the party with a 2-run blast into the trees in left field to bring the score to 14-3.
The Stompers put together their 3rd, 5-run inning in the bottom of the 7th inning. Back-to-back-to-back walks opened the inning to Romero, Hibbert and Gotta to load the bases for Barfield who singled home a run making it 15-3. Kwitzer then drove in 2 with a single and it was 17-3. With 2 outs Barrios knocked in one more to make it 18-3 and another run scored on an error as the Stompers led 19-3 after 7 innings.
Napa scored 2 more in the top of the 8th inning on an Ultsch home run off Jacob Cox (3-0) to cut into the lead 19-5.
The Stompers put together their biggest inning of the season in the bottom of the 8th when they scored 11 times on 10 hits and sent 17 batters to the plate. The inning started with a flyout. Hibbert then walked and Gotta followed with a walk. Barfield then snapped the old record of 21 runs with a 3-run blast to left to set a new record and give the Stompers a 22-5 lead. Kwitzer singled and Daniel Molinari walked as he pinch-hit for Gillespie. A balk moved them both up 90 feet and Barrios grounded out for the 2nd out to make it 23-5. Kern walked to put men at the corners and Butcher singled home a run as it was now 24-5. Romero singled to right to make it 25-5. They would not stop hitting as Hibbert singled to bring the score to 26-5. Gotta cleared the bases with a 2-run double to right-center, upping the lead to 28-5. RBI singles by Kwitzer and Molinari gave the Stompers an even 30, the most runs ever scored in the Pacific Association as the Stompers walked all over Napa, 30-5.
The Stompers are home Tuesday night against the Salina Stockade for the final time in 2019 at 6:05.