Petaluma gets revenge

Revenge is best served and tastes much better when accompanied by a league lead.

Petaluma High’s Trojans avenged their only Sonoma County League loss and took over first place in the process last week, smacking Piner’s visiting Prospectors, 10-1.

Petaluma’s triumph was decisive, coming within a run of a mercy-rule short ending. The Trojans scored a run in the first inning and never trailed, backing the pitching dominance of Nick Andrakin with a 12-hit attack that featured contributions from nine different batters.

Andrakin, relying primarily on a fastball that painted both sides of the plate, was outstanding. He cruised through five innings, allowing just three hits and three walks, while fanning five.

Most spectacular of the Trojans’ hitting support for their pitcher was a long, two-run homer over the left-field fence by Bradley Smith in the fifth inning.

By then, the Trojans were already in front, 5-1. The shot touched off a five-run rally that clinched the win and put the Trojans on the brink of ending the game early, but a short game was not in the cards.

Piner reliever Jacob Monday came on to end the rally with the potential game-ending run at third base. Two more Trojans were stranded in the sixth, ensuring that the game would go the distance.

Sam Brown pitched a perfect sixth inning with one strikeout.

Danny Marzo was a bit control-challenged, walking three in the seventh, but he escaped without giving up a run, striking out one.

The Petaluma pitchers worked from the comfort of a game-long lead. Garrett Lewis gave them a quick advantage with a bases-stacked sacrifice fly in the first inning. Hits by Jack Gallagher, Porter Slate and Andrakin provided two more runs in the second, and Devin Gotschall’s long double to center keyed a two-run burst in the third.

Then came the big fifth and the revenge was complete.

Marzo, Andrakin and Gotschall each had two hits, while Sam Brown, Porter Slate, David Haulot, Sam Jacobs, Jack Gallagher and Smith all got in on the hitting fun.

Follow-up win

Petaluma followed up its big win with a similarly dominating 10-1 victory over Sonoma Valley’s Dragons on Tuesday afternoon.

The Trojans broke the game open early, scoring five runs in the third inning and going in front, 7-1, after four innings before a three-run sixth once again put them on the brink of an early finish.

Blake Buhrer pitched five strong innings for the win, allowing just one run on three hits and a pair of walks. He struck out three. Jake Duca finished up with two innings of relief, offsetting three hits with three strikeouts.

There were some big afternoons at the plate for several Trojans. Garett Lewis was 4-for-4 with two doubles and a home run. Marzo also connected for a homer and droved in three runs with two hits. Dominic Vachini made the most of his opportunity to play, slugging a double off the bench. Porter Slate was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.

Petaluma is now 11-4-1 on the season and 6-1 in Sonoma County League play, a game up on second-place El Molino (5-2), with Piner (5-3) and Analy (4-3) still hopeful. Sonoma Valley dropped to 4-4 in league.

Petaluma was to play at Healdsburg on Wednesday. Results of that game were not available at press time. The Trojans turn around and face the Greyhounds again on Friday, this time on the Petaluma diamond.