Walnut Creek takes down Sonoma in tight rivalry clash

The CCL North has officially seen its first team clinch a playoff spot: The Walnut Creek Crawdads.

After taking down Sonoma 7-6 Wednesday evening, the Crawdads are now 21-8 and sit atop the North division, having officially guaranteed a spot in the postseason.

The victory against the Stompers began with a strong starting pitching outing from sophomore Alessandro Martintez.

Against Sonoma, Martinez went three innings of no-hit baseball, striking out six and allowing one run after walking five.

Despite getting nine of 14 batters out, Martinez had set the bar so high that Wednesday's outing felt below his standard. This feeling was echoed by Walnut Creek coach Brant Cummings.

"If he cleans up the strike throwing with all of his pitches, he's good," Cummings said. "He just has to limit the walks. Today was uncharacteristic. Next time out, you'll see a much better Martinez"

When Martinez stepped off the mound to end his day, the Crawdads did have a lead due to a two-run second inning.

After sophomore outfielder Dylan Perez tripled as the second batter of the inning, junior infielder Alijah Ramos mashed a ball over the left field wall for his first collegiate home run. 

After Ramos' home run, the Stompers found their way back in the game with one-run innings in the third, fourth and fifth.

However, the Crawdads put an end to the Sonoma rally with a combined five runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

After senior infielder Kam Taylor walked and stole second, Bryden Bull singled, setting up sophomore catcher Brandon Clizbe to hit a ball up the middle, driving in Taylor.

The next at-bat, Perez picked up his second extra base hit, doubling to bring home Bull.

In the seventh, after a wild pitch scored senior utility man Ryan Ellis, Bull controlled his fate. Stepping up into a big spot, he didn't waste it.

Bull crushed the third pitch he saw to right center field, Bull hit his joint-CCL leading fifth home run of 2026, taking a 7-3 lead.  

On the mound during the middle of the game was a pair of strong outings from sophomore Paul Wheeler and senior Kody Perry.

In the fifth and sixth innings, Wheeler faced nine batters and got six of them out, allowing just one hit and one run, striking out two. After Wheeler stepped off, Perry came in for the seventh and eighth, going for two shutout innings of two-hit, two-strikeout baseball.

After continuing a strong 2026 season that has seen him pitch six innings and allow just two hits, Perry was proud of his performance.

"I did what I came to do," Perry said. "I attacked early. Threw strikes. No walks. That's the most important part."

Despite a three-run ninth from the Stompers, Walnut Creek confirmed its third win in a row.

While the Crawdads had some strong offensive performances and put up an impressive seven runs, it did not feel like a perfect day at the plate. Seven is just about average for Walnut Creek in 2026, and the Crawdads get to the field expecting to score more than that. 

"Naturally, we figured out what the standard was as our offense started coming along this summer," Ramos said. "We  built that, and we stick with it. Whether the bats are hot or if we're swinging it well, we always find a way to produce."

With a spot in the playoffs clinched with nine games remaining, the Crawdads have an opportunity to make history in 2026.

Perry, a player who is well experienced in the Creek, has seemed to mature throughout his time as a Crawdad. As he looks back to teams in the past, he sees the ways in which he has matured.

"In seasons past, I wasn't really that grateful to be on a team like this," Perry said. "This year's been so much fun. Being in the bullpen with our guys and having some fun baseball. It's fun to watch this team. We have some great hitters, great pitchers, and I soak it all in because baseball runs out eventually."

Up next for the Crawdads is one of the biggest games of the regular season, a matchup with San Luis Obispo at home at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.

The game being Walnut Creek's fourth and final chance to pick up a victory against the Blues in the regular season, Perez spoke bluntly about the Crawdad mindset to extend their lead at the top of the division.

"We're gonna try to put it to them," Perez said. "That's about it. We want to beat them."