Walnut Creek dominates in game that saw a hit car, two balls in play at once

After sophomore catcher Riley Winchell hit the first Walnut Creek home run of the season on Sunday afternoon and claimed that a lot of the team had "stupid juice", the question in the Crawdad dugout became "who would be next?"

For most, it wasn't much of a question. Except for the man who ended up hitting it.

A majority of the players in the dugout had a feeling that redshirt freshman outfielder Bryden Bull was due a huge swing. Connecting for some hard-hit balls in his previous appearances, it was an easy guess to make.

However, Bull didn't think much of it. Even when asked what his predictions were for his at-bats in the dugout, he just hoped to see a mistake pitch. Then, in the bottom of the second, he got one. 

"I got heart eyes," Bull said. "I saw a beach ball; the biggest thing for me was just letting it get to my spot, and I did a good job of that." 

The six-foot-five Nevada native, who plays his college ball for Ole Miss, saw a high offspeed pitch and mashed it to left center field to hit his first collegiate home run.

Bull, seventh in the batting order, batting in the second inning meant at least one baserunner got on in the previous six at-bats. Try 12. 

Just one inning before Bull's home run, which brought the score to 10-1, the Crawdads had an offensive explosion. All nine batters reached base in their first at-bat of the game.

When the first inning was said and done, the game felt all but over, the scoreboard reading 8-0 after one.

The Crawdads eventually took down the San Francisco Seagulls 17-1, moving to 5-1 in CCL play. The onslaught in the first inning put the game out of reach before it even started.

Sophomore catcher Brandon Clizbe, who had two hits and an RBI on Tuesday, felt that the first inning was a true team effort.

"Hitting is contagious," Clizbe said. "When the guys in front start doing it, then the guys behind start following, you know it's going to be a good day." 

His coach, Brant Cummings, felt that Clizbe was absolutely correct, citing the feeling the team has in moments like that.

"You see three or four of your buddies get blown up out here, and you're thinking, 'wow, am I going to get blown up too?'" Cummings said. "But you see two or three of them hit line drives hard and that's when hitting is contagious. You see good things happening, and you gain confidence from that." 

While Bull left his biggest mark on the game the next inning, he picked up a two-RBI single in the first. Having the experience of being a part of the lineup while scoring eight runs in an inning, Bull felt ecstatic. 

"I don't know if there's a better feeling," Bull said. "I mean you come out in the first inning, right from that first AB, it feels like a dog fight. Then you have eight dudes rope a ball." 

Walnut Creek scored 11 runs in two innings and picked up all the insurance they needed. Still, they tacked on more. 

Bull tacked on another two RBI with a double in the fifth, ending his day with a statline that read 4-5 with six RBI.

The Crawdads tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh, finishing the day with eight different players recording an RBI. The scoring was so much of a team effort that only two players finished with multiple RBI: Bull and sophomore designated hitter Sutter Moss.

17 runs might ring a bell in the mind of Crawdads fans. That's because it's the same amount they scored in the first game of the season. The biggest difference: the number of runs allowed. 

While game one saw Walnut Creek give up 16, Tuesday's game saw them limit San Francisco to just one run. 

Walnut Creek pitchers maneuvered around trouble against San Francisco. Although a 17-1 scoreline is easy to pitch with, the way they bounced back from baserunners was equally impressive. 

The Crawdads have allowed just one home run during this homestand, and tonight, they forced contact. Despite five walks, the highest total at Monte Vista High School this season, Cummings was impressed with how the pitchers responded and still attacked the zone. 

"I think we're just more comfortable as a team now, sophomore right-handed pitcher Kalani Jauregui said. "(The) first couple games, guys were getting to know each other; it was new territory, but now we're more comfortable, and we're ready to get after every single day." 

The Crawdads used four guys out of the bullpen following Jauregui. Jauregui racked up six strikeouts, the most among any Crawdads pitcher this season. 

It wasn't just Jauregui who recorded punch outs. Walnut Creek tallied 15 strikeouts, matching the team-high on the season, which came on Opening Day. 

"I mean, quick innings when we're on defense," Clizbe said. "We save our energy for when we're on offense. When you're not out there for a while, you're itching to go hit, and that's what we need." 

The Seagulls hit just .219 against Crawdads pitching on Tuesday night. Jauregui and the rest of his staff — notably other sophomore right-handed pitcher Alessandro Martinez, who earned the win — registered a 65.3% strike rate.  

Having guys who, despite walking a couple, can find the strike zone, especially with guys on base, is crucial for overall confidence 

"I really think that's what we're seeing," Cummings said. "I think that's a large part of what we've seen. Last week we saw them in spots struggling with their command, and I think today was a pretty good illustration, even with the five walks. Tencher, who had a rough outing up in Sonoma, was able to overcome bouncing a couple of fastballs and then threw a slider. His secondary stuff was better today, and just being able to throw it near the white thing to encourage hitters to swing today."

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Miles Tenscher had a huge bounce-back out of the bullpen. The side-armed hurler's slurve was filthy, registering negative 18 inches of movement. 

Tenscher bounced back from his issues against Sonoma. He walked one batter and found the strike zone at a 64.3% clip. Tenscher allowed two hits while striking out three through 1.1 innings of work. 

Redshirt freshman right-handed pitcher Jacob Kobrin similarly bounced back from his struggles. He showcased his hard-throwing ability, peppering in some absolute heat from the mound with his fiery fastball. 

The gunslinger didn't allow a hit, walked one and struck out two across his inning of work. 

The Crawdads have another off day on Wednesday before returning to Monte Vista High School to face Menlo Park on Thursday, June 11, at 4:00 p.m. PDT.