SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Pedro Perez made the most of his start at shortstop for the Vallejo Admirals on Sunday afternoon, producing three RBIs and displaying steady defense to help his team defeat the San Rafael Pacifcs 9-3. With the victory the Admirals avoided a sweep and picked up a much needed victory to keep them within striking distance of first place in the Pacific Association.

Vallejo got the scoring started in the third inning, tagging San Rafael starter David Johnson for three runs in the inning. Cyle Figueroa led off with a single. Darian Sandford followed later in the inning with a base knock of his own with two outs, extending the inning. Joe Hicks came up next and drove Figueroa in on an RBI single that advanced Sandford to second base. A double steal moved Sandford to third and Hicks to second during Tim Williams’ time up at the plate. Later in the at bat Williams brought in both men with his own single, giving the Admirals a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the third inning.

The Pacifics got one run back in the bottom half of the inning to trim the lead, however Pedro Perez made that run null and void when he clobbered a two-run homer to right field in the top of the fourth inning to give Vallejo a 5-1 lead. Perez displayed his two-way prowess in the bottom half of the inning, recording a put out on a ball in play from Pacifics’ right fielder Kyle Adie. Before this put out, the sure handed Perez already had two assists on ground balls for the day.

Perez’ defense impressed further in the bottom of the fifth inning as he started an inning ending double play, setting the stage for him in the top of the sixth at the plate. With one on and two out in the inning Perez roped an RBI double down the left field line that scored Figueroa from second base, giving Perez three RBIs and the Admirals a 7-1 lead. Aaron Brill had already scored earlier in the inning, advancing home from third on a wild pitch.

Even more impressive, was that the two RBI hits Perez had were against different pitchers, as Johnson was chased from the game after only four innings, largely a result of the two run blast hit by Perez earlier in the contest. The victim in the sixth inning though was reliever James McReynolds, who eventually left the game in the top of the seventh inning.

The Pacifics would pick up two additional runs in the bottom of the sixth off Vallejo starter Brett Adheen, but that was all the scoring the San Rafael squad would be able to muster as the Admiral lefty went six innings allowing 10 hits, spread out across numerous innings. Adheen allowed baserunners but the Pacifics could not take advantage, stranding 10 runners against Adheen and 13 overall.

Vallejo added two runs in the next two innings, padding their lead, first after another RBI single by Williams to knock in Sanford again in the seventh and then in the eighth on a bases loaded walk that brought Cyle Figueroa across the plate, giving Vallejo a commanding 9-3 advantage. In the bottom of the eighth Perez started another double play that ended an inning, putting an exclamation point on a fantastic game overall.

The great game by Pedro Perez overshadowed worthy contributors from other Admirals previously mentioned, such as the six innings of work from Adheen, the three runs scored from Figueroa, and the three RBIs produced by Tim Williams. Darian Sandford also scored two runs and stole two bases during both trips around the diamond.

Moving to four back in the standings the Admirals played one of their best games of the season surely building confidence for a final push towards first place. With a day off tomorrow, that push begins back at Wilson Park as Vallejo will host the Sonoma Stompers on Tuesday evening. The first of the three game series is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

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