SAN RAFAEL, Calif- The Sonoma Stompers hit the road to take on the San Rafael Pacifics for the final time in 2019. The Stompers took an early lead, but sloppy defense and a San Rafael rally was too much for the Stompers to come back from.
Nick Gotta led off the ballgame with a walk against San Rafael starter Justin Watland (3-0) and Jacob Barfield followed with a base hit. With one out, Brent Gillespie singled through the right side to bring Gotta home and give the Stompers a 1-0 lead.
After a quick 2 outs in the top of the 2nd inning, Nick Kern and Rayson Romero worked back-to-back walks and Gotta doubled to double the lead, 2-0.
In the bottom of the 3rd inning Markus Montelongo and Chuck Rocker singled for San Rafael to put 2 runners on. Raul Navarro laid a bunt down and reached on a throwing error by Stomper starter Pat Barnett (1-2). On the error the first San Rafael run came in. A walk to Peguero loaded the bases with nobody out for Axel Johnson. On 1-2, Johnson hit a TaylorMade double play ball to Romero at shortstop when the ball hit the lip of the grass at the last second, bouncing over Romero for a 2-run single, giving San Rafael a 3-2 lead. The fin al run of the inning scored on a Mike Annone sacrifice fly as the Pacifics took a 4-2 lead.
Daniel Molinari led off the top of the 4thinning with his 4th home run of the season to right-center field, cutting the deficit to just 4-3.
San Rafael got their final run in the bottom of the 5th inning when Navarro hit a low line drive to center which Rob DeAngelis dove for but didn’t catch as it rolled all the way to the wall in center, allowing Navarro to come all the way around for an inside-the-park home run, making it 5-3.
The Stompers got 3 scoreless innings from the bullpen but the damage was done as they fell to San Rafael 5-3.
The Stompers are off Saturday but are in Napa on Sunday at 1:05.