DANVILLE, Calif. — A little chopper back to the mound in the top of the ninth inning of the Walnut Creek Crawdads’ Tuesday evening fixture against the Sonoma Stompers had big meaning. 

Right-handed closer Kam Croghan was able to field the ball and throw over to first for the third and final out of the frame, not only securing the win for the Crawdads but also capping off a day where the pitching staff allowed zero earned runs. It was just the second time all summer that the team had accomplished the feat. 

No earned runs didn’t mean that the game was a shutout, though. Second baseman Ryan Ellis committed an error earlier in the ninth, which eventually led to two runners scoring. Still, the win was one the pitching staff could hang its hat on after Croghan settled down and induced the weak, game-ending contact. 

“(Ellis) makes that play 99 out of 100 times,” Croghan said. “I trust my guys, and that play doesn’t ever change my trust at all. Attacking guys was my main goal.” 

Despite Monte Vista High School being slightly warmer and less windy than in previous games, there was enough of a breeze to still kill offense for the majority of the game. While that hampered Walnut Creek’s (9-5) offense slightly, the pitching staff used it to their advantage in the 4-2 victory over Sonoma (11-8). However, the weather can’t be given all the credit. Pitchers hit their spots, got out of jams when they occurred and kept the momentum going. 

“It’s important to have those guys continue to succeed,” Crawdads head coach Brant Cummings said. “The more they succeed, the more confidence they collect, the better they will play.” 

Right-handed starting pitcher Kody Perry started the successful day. Perry got out of a one-out, two-men-on situation in the first inning, before kicking his day into high gear in the second. Perry mixed and matched his arsenal, utilizing his changeup in crucial moments, to strike out the side on three different pitches. 

It didn’t all go smoothly for the right-hander. He had to work out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the third inning, but he induced contact that his defense was able to gobble up to get himself out of frame. The bullpen was able to see his success and carry it on when the first reliever, right-hander Carson Timothy, entered the game an inning later. 

“I showed that we can get these guys out if we just attack them,” Perry said. “So it kind of carried over (to the bullpen). We were pretty efficient today.” 

The seven free passes that the Crawdads gave out is still a high mark, but compared to some of the team’s other recent performances, they’ll take it and consider it a step in the right direction. The most important thing was that when Perry, Timothy, righty Noah Zirkle, lefty Max Cohen or Croghan ran into trouble of any kind, they were able to avoid serious damage. 

The impact of the pitcher’s successful outings doesn’t stop at the team’s arms; it also takes pressure off the offense. That’s important, especially with the offense in the midst of a three-game stretch where they’ve only scored more than four runs once. 

“Guys don’t feel like we’re just fighting for runs and keeping ourselves in tight games,” Croghan said. 

The offense started off hot, scoring in the first inning — something that’s only happened four times this summer — but didn’t score again until the sixth. In total, the offense only registered eight hits and drew just one walk. It’s not a sustainable way to win games in the high-scoring CCL, but it was just enough on Tuesday after a necessary, two-run eighth inning. 

Right fielder Joey Donnelly entered the game third in the CCL in batting average among qualified hitters, with a .425 mark. He had already raised the average, entering his eighth inning plate appearance having already gone 2-3 on the day, with two singles. The first of those two singles — a softly hit ball through the right side — gave Walnut Creek its first-inning lead, but his next hit did enough to secure the win. 

Stompers right-hander reliever Kyle Seo threw Donnelly a pitch up in the zone, which he put good contact on. The ball carried out to center field and just over the extended wall in that part of the ballpark, giving Donnelly and the Crawdads a pleasant surprise. 

“The wind’s always funky here,” Donnelly said. “I knew I got good bat on it, but I had no idea if it was going or not.” 

While a four-run performance might not win many games for Walnut Creek this season, and the pitching staff will need to stack good performances before asserting itself as a threat in the CCL, Tuesday’s win represents an opportunity for both sides of the team to continue to find their grooves. Baseball’s an up-and-down sport, but the confidence is on the rise after the team snapped their two-game skid, and can continue to grow if the Wednesday evening rubber match goes their way. 

“The confidence is high,” Croghan said. “I can tell we’re getting our hitting back, we’re getting our pitching back, this week’s going to be fun for sure.”