Story written by Stompers intern Isaac Sullivan
An inconsistent offense partnered with a pair of errors and several wild pitches resulted in an 11-5 loss to the West Coast Kings.
The Stompers were able to build an early 2-0 lead in the first inning after Rees Kent singled in the pair of runs. In the second inning, Connor Blough hit a moonshot to extend the Stompers lead to 3-0.
Stompers pitchers Garrett James and Hayden Crews each pitched two innings, and through the first four frames, they allowed a total of one hit. Daniel Morehead allowed the Kings to score their first runs of the game in the sixth inning, as the Stompers lead was now 3-2.
The lead remained intact until a disastrous eighth inning for the Stompers occurred. A solo shot from the Kings tied the game at three. A combination of errors, a hit batter, and several walks allowed the Kings to run around the bases. After the top of the eighth was finally over, the Stompers found themselves down 8-3.
The Stompers, however, refused to sit back without a fight as Davis Cop led the bottom of the eighth with a single. After two wild pitches, Cop found himself at third base, and Colton Lomanto’s ground out cut the deficit to 8-4.
The Kings continued to be aggressive as they racked up single after single, and after the top of the final frame, the Kings pushed their lead to 11-4.
The Stompers would respond with one more run, but the Kings walked away with a commanding 11-5 victory.
The Stompers will be back for tonight's game against the Lincoln Potters at 6:05pm.