by Ammar Khan

The Walnut Creek Crawdads (5-4) hosted the South Bay Storm on Tuesday, Jun.18 at Monte Vista High School.

Entering the non-conference matchup, the Crawdads were on a three-game winning streak. In all three wins, the Crawdads scored seven or more runs.

The Crawdads found their offensive rhythm once again after a dominant offensive performance.

With a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, junior infielder Isaiah Walker came up to the plate with runners on second and third base.

After a hit that drove the ball deep to left field, sophomore infielder Ben Royo and third-baseman Nico Defazio scored two runs to extend the Crawdads lead. 

The play resulted in a double for Walker, a 3-0 Crawdad lead, and a commanding second inning for the team that set the tone for the entire game.

On the next play, junior outfielder Ethan Liao had a play similar to Walkers; Liao hit the ball toward left field, earning a double while Walker cruised to home plate. They now lead 4-0.

Several pitches later, an error from South Bay’s Augustin Gomez led to a single and a Liao score.

The inning ended with the Crawdads up 5-0.

The team’s fourth inning looked quite similar to their second inning. It featured a Walker run, bases loaded, and the team scoring three more times, giving them an 8-0 lead.

The team’s lone home run came in the bottom of the seventh inning after a powerful hit from Ethan Liao. The home run was also part of an RBI that extended the Crawdads lead 10-0.

The Storms scored three runs in the eighth and ninth innings. However, the Crawdad’s dominant offensive performance proved to be too much for the Storm to overcome.

With the non-conference win, the Crawdads improved their record to 6-4 and extended their winning streak to four straight games.

The team will hit the road for their next game as they will face CCL conference opponent Menlo Park Legends. The game will be Wednesday, Jun.19 at the College of San Mateo. With a win, the Crawdads can improve to 6-4, extend their win streak to five straight, and get one game closer to the first seed in the CCL North Standings.