Seventh-inning hitting highlights Crawdad identity in win over Sonoma

Stepping up to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning, junior second baseman Alijah Ramos was not trying to play the role of the hero. In that moment, he wasn't making a large impact on the game on the surface. A single to right field certainty helped, it was just the second hit and the fifth baserunner for Walnut Creek on Wednesday night.

By the time he had his second at-bat, just one inning later, he was the reason the Crawdads put the game out of reach of their rivals.

Being a major part of another big Crawdad offensive onslaught, Ramos highlighted the team's mindset.

"One guy at a time," Ramos said. "Just getting that first guy on, and after that it just unravels. We start talking about the pitcher and his tendencies, we just start putting good swings on balls, moving guys over, bunting if we have to, and just trying to find ways to produce one run at a time. We're not trying to get six in an inning, we're trying to get one or two, and then it just unravels from there."

While the team doesn't shoot for six-run innings, games like Wednesday's still have them.

However, before the sixth and seventh inning, Walnut Creek's offense was stagnant. All players got out in the first time through the order, the only slight exception being a second-inning hit, which was followed by a double play. The second time through was not all that different. The Crawdads had just three baserunners in the second go-around, two via free passes and one from an error. 

As Ramos stepped up to the plate to kick off the sixth inning, Walnut Creek could not escape the vice grip of a pitching duel. Down 2-0, needing a boost of offense, Ramos delivered a single, serving as the boost the Crawdads needed.

Later that inning, big hits from junior left fielder Daniel Polasek and senior shortstop Kevin Parker Jr. tied the game up, getting the Crawdad dugout active.

A double play in the top of the seventh kept the energy level high for Walnut Creek ahead of what would be a big inning in the bottom half.

After an error and single saw junior first baseman Barrett Ronson step up to the plate with no out and runners in scoring position, a single from Ronson put the Crawdads ahead, but it was just the beginning for Walnut Creek.

Junior right fielder Shane Aldridge beat out the throw on a ball that went back to the pitcher, allowing Ramos to step up to the dish with the bases loaded and nobody out.

Working a six-pitch at-bat, Ramos saw the pitch he waited for and ripped a ball over the third baseman's head, driving in two runs and keeping two runners in scoring position with no outs. 

After a pitching change, redshirt freshman third baseman TJ Woodson came up to the plate, more than prepared to drive in more runs.

While the leadoff hitter hadn't recorded a hit in either of his previous at-bats, seeing the success of the guys ahead of him in that inning fully prepared him for the moment.

"It's very confidence building," Woodson said. "You see guys in front of you getting hits and getting hits, it frustrates the defense on the other team, it frustrates the pitcher. Sometimes they'll leave balls over the plate."

On the first pitch he saw, Woodson hit a double to right field, driving in two runs and clearing the bases. 

Woodson scored on the next at-bat after a lineout followed by an error, the last run scored by a Crawdad in the seventh.

After a six-run seventh inning put the game all but out of reach for the Stompers, Walnut Creek led 8-2, the score that would stick for the rest of the game.

His work in the sixth and seventh innings earning him player of the game honors, Ramos explained the Crawdad approach after a rough two runs through the order.

"We did what we've been doing this past week," Ramos said. "We didn't steer away from that, even though it was a slow first five innings, not producing. We stuck to our approach, and we continued to find ways to get runs in and just put the ball in play and put hard contact on balls and see what happens from there."

Now on a seven game winning streak, the Crawdad offense continues to be well-rounded. 

The past four games have seen a few themes. In games against San Francisco, Alameda and Philippines Baseball Group, the Crawdads added helpful insurance through one and two-run innings. However, the first two games, alongside Wednesday's, saw games put out of reach from Walnut Creek opponents before the final three innings with offensive explosions. In those three, the Crawdads scored six or more runs in one inning.

Finding offense however and whenever needed, coach Brant Cummings is proud of what the offensive production says about his team. 

"We have guys that can hit," Cummings said. "Especially situational hitting. Runners at second and third, less than two outs, runners at first and third, runner at third, less than two outs. We've been really good in those situations. That appears to be the recipe."