Santos Saldivar is looking like an ace already. He was brilliant in his first start with Sonoma.
James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers
Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations
Santos Saldivar looked determined to make his first start with the Stompers one to remember. Given an opportunity to take the ball from the get go thanks to some stellar relief work and his impressive college track record as a starter, the rookie from Pasadena, Texas made life very difficult for the Vallejo Admirals. For seven shutout innings, the stout right-hander made mincemeat out of the league's worst offense, as he allowed only six baserunners over his seven shutout innings of work and struck out nine batters as the Stompers defeated the Admirals, 7-4 in their weeklong series opener at Arnold Field.
The Stompers offense again got after Demetrius Banks (2-5), who for the second straight time on the road against Sonoma (9-7 2nd half, 35-18 overall) didn't have a great outing. Two runs came home in the first thanks to RBI singles by Brennan Metzger and Mark Hurley, and then the third saw a two-out rally highlighted by two RBI singles and a balk from Banks.
Sonoma's big offensive moment came from Isaac Wenrich in the sixth, when the catcher launched his ninth home run of the year to left-center against Brooks Belter to make it 6-0. Sonoma's 7-0 lead came thanks to a Taylor Eads single in the seventh.
Meanwhile, Santos (1-1) was absolutely phenomenal with one of the most impressive arsenals seen in the Pacific Association this year. Vallejo (5-11, 18-37) could barely make good contact against Santos, as the four hits from the Admirals were mostly bloopers, with Tyler Nordgren's seventh inning single on a slider up the only hard hit ball that fell up until that point.
Surprisingly, the four runs came home for the Admirals off Sean Conroy, who wasn't as sharp as he normally was. Three straight doubles to lead off the eighth inning cut the deficit to 7-2, and then a two-run single by Jordan Berry in the ninth made it a three run ballgame.
Conroy was able to settle down and retire Joshua Wong to end the game, but it got a lot more dramatic down the stretch than was expected. Luckily for both Conroy and the Stompers, the issues came in a game that was easily Sonoma's, and now both teams can move forward with a win under their belts in the weeklong series opener.
Offensively, five players had two-hit nights, with all nine batters reaching base at least once. Yuki Yasuda's 14-game hitting streak did come to an end, as he went 0-for-4 with a walk. Wenrich drove in two runs by Yasuda scored twice.
Sonoma will host Mr. Cheese O's night on Wednesday with their presenting partner, Sonoma Creamery. The popular cheese snack will be available to purchase at the ballpark as part of the Stompers' initiative to reach out to local partners and offer healthy alternatives at the ballpark.
First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m., with the gates at Arnold Field opening at 5 p.m. It will also be a Wine Down Wednesday, as all Leese-Fitch wine varieties will cost only $4 per glass for fans 21 and older.
Tickets begin at just $4 and can be purchased online at StompersBaseball.com or at the Stompers Fan Shop, located at 234 W. Napa St. in beautiful downtown Sonoma. Tickets can also be purchased at the gates at Arnold Field before any home game. For more information, call the Stompers at (707) 938-7277 or email the team at info@stompersbaseball.com.