DANVILLE, Calif. — Walnut Creek Crawdads designated hitter Kam Taylor left the on-deck circle in the bottom half of the fourth inning, heading to the plate in a major spot. The Crawdads had just tied the game and still had two runners on base, but the opposing San Luis Obispo Blues had already gotten two outs in the inning, meaning they were one good pitch away from limiting the damage. 

It was a pressure-filled situation for both Taylor and the Blues’ right-handed starting pitcher Aiden Sims. Whatever happened next could have severe implications on both the score and the ever-shifting momentum.  

Taylor walked up to the plate with an ever-rowdier section of Crawdads fans beyond the right field wall cheering him on and a plan in his head. The 6-foot-2 Georgia native got an off-speed pitch from Sims that caught the zone and did damage. 

“I was sitting fastball and reacting to offspeed,” Taylor said. “He threw offspeed and I just caught it. See ball, hit ball.” 

Taylor’s swing carried the ball high into the air above the Monte Vista High School Baseball Field and over the wall in left-center field for a 377-foot, tie-breaking blast. Walnut Creek (6-1) would control the game the rest of the way, earning the two-game sweep over San Luis Obispo (4-4) with an 8-2 victory Saturday evening. The win was the Crawdads’ sixth in a row and the offense is yet to score less than eight runs in a game in CCL play. 

“(Taylor’s) big and strong and he puts good swings on pitches,” Crawdads head coach Brant Cummings said. “He helps. If one guy doesn’t get it done earlier, the next guy does. We’re really deep right now.” 

The length of Walnut Creek’s lineup was exemplified by Taylor, the Crawdads’ eight-hole hitter, as well as right fielder Joey Donnelly, who hits ahead of Taylor in the seven-hole. The two bottom-of-the-order hitters didn’t play like their spots in the lineup, combining to drive in five of the team’s eight runs.

Donnelly ripped an RBI double off the base of the left-center field wall in the seventh inning, scoring catcher Zach Justice for the eighth and final run in the backstop’s first game in the red and black, but his most significant hit came in the fourth inning right before Taylor’s home run. The soon-to-be graduate student singled into right field, scoring second baseman Ryan Ellis and ensuring that he was on base for Taylor. 

“(Donnelly’s) having great swings and great at-bats,” Cummings said. “He’s hitting seventh, but there’s instances where he’s leading off an inning or hitting with guys in scoring position. And the most dynamic thing has been (that) he’s been able to deliver big hits with two outs. … It’s huge because the percentages are against you.” 

Donnelly and his teammates showcased that they had the clutch gene. The Crawdads’ offense scored six of their eighth runs when their backs were pressed against the wall with two outs, something that can demoralize the opposing team.

“You feel as if ‘alright, here’s the deal, we got two outs, runner on second, we can make one pitch and we can get out of the jam,’” Cummings said. “Guy gets a hit and you just feel like, ‘f—.’” 

When Donnelly and Taylor weren’t bringing guys in, they were scoring. Outside of the home run, Taylor scored an insurance run in the sixth inning and Donnelly scored Walnut Creek’s first run of the game in the third inning. Donnelly’s fingerprints were all over the victory. He built upon a 3-4 performance in the first game against the Blues, doing it again but with a direct impact on the scoring. 

The fans beyond the right field wall have become an unofficial Joey Donnelly fan club. The group cheers hard for all the Crawdads, but takes it to the next level when it comes to Donnelly. They cheered for him on both offense and defense, and started a loud ‘MVP’ chant when he tied the game in the fourth inning.

“They make it really fun,” Donnelly said. “They make it exciting, they make the energy get high.” 

The Crawdads also build energy from what their teammates are doing. Hits and RBIs have been a contagious outbreak on this team during recent games, and it all becomes easier when the offense can build off the pitching staff’s momentum. 

Apart from two runs, which were allowed by right-handed starting pitcher George Zaharias in the second inning, the Crawdads’ arms were able to hold off San Luis Obispo and hold Walnut Creek’s lead. 

“It’s always harder to hit from behind,” Donnelly said. “When you have a lead and you can be freer at the plate. It definitely helps (the offense).”

After Zaharias gave up those two runs, he and four relievers – left-handed pitchers Ryan DeLaney and Bradyn Barnes and righties Peter Storjahann, who joined the team today, and Kam Croghan – didn’t just hold the Blues scoreless, they allowed only four hits and one walk. 

The pitching staff has been a rollercoaster compared to the offense and defense, which have proven themselves over the past week. The ups have been good and the downs haven’t cost the team severely, but a strong bullpen can round out Walnut Creek and make it an even more difficult obstacle in the road for opposing teams. 

“The bullpen was dynamite,” Cummings said. “DeLaney was good. Storjahann, one inning, solid. Barnes was good and then, of course, Kam (came) into the game going 1-2-3. .. I’m fired up on all facets. We steal bases, we can hit, we can play defense, we can pitch out of the bullpen.” 

Part of what has led to the Crawdads’ early-season success is how tight-knit the team has become in a short amount of time. Almost every single member of the Crawdads has something to prove this summer, whether it be to themselves or to a team that they could possibly transfer to. Still, instead of playing selfishly, they’ve put an effort into learning each other, becoming friends and coming together to create a winning unit. 

“We’re just hanging outside of baseball,” Taylor said. “We work together, we train with each other, lift with each other to get to know each other better and it actually helps.”  

The team will inevitably struggle at some point during the summer, but for now, the Crawdads seem to be unbeatable, and they feel that way, too. When the bad times do eventually come around, the offense will be able to reflect on this part of the season and channel it into their mindset. 

“Keep your head high,” Taylor said. “Just always know that you’re better than the pitcher.”

By Ethan Ignatovsky