The Stompers ended their two-game win streak in league play as their offense stalled in an 8-3 loss to the Walnut Creek Crawdads.
In the first inning, both teams were able to produce early rallies. From the first pitch, the Crawdads were swinging for the fences. A lead-off double and a walk set the stage for a three-run bomb from Brian DuRoff. Stompers pitcher, Daniel Smith, was visibly frustrated with himself, but he would look to settle into the game.
The Stompers looked to quell the frustrations of Smith in the bottom half of the inning. Both Alex Leopard and Alex Gouveia provided back-to-back singles to put the Stompers in business. Colton Lomanto's sacrifice fly knocked in Leopard and put the Stompers on the board. Due to Gouveia's alert base running, he put himself in position for Tucker McEnroe's groundball to allow him to score. After just one inning, the score was 3-2, in favor of the Crawdads.
Daniel Smith would settle in, as he would provide two more innings for the Stompers. Crawdads pitching, however, would surrender a run in the bottom of the third. Leopard would get on base again with a walk to start the rally. After a ground ball from Gouveia and a wild pitch, Leopard found himself at third base. An error from the third baseman resulted in Leopard scoring, and the game was now tied.
The following inning, the Crawdads responded. With Smith out of the game, Hayden Crews was called to the mound. He gave up a four-pitch walk to start the inning, but the devastating blow was a two-shot blast from Taiwan Corio that broke the tie and gave the Crawdads a 5-3 lead.
Crews walked his third batter to begin the fifth inning, and surrendered a single before he was replaced by Maxx Castellucci. Another walk was awarded to a Crawdad batter, and the bases were loaded. A single and a sacrifice fly pushed the Stompers deficit to 7-3
In the seventh inning, the Crawdads strived to put the game away. Two consecutive singles off of Christian McInerney put runners at second and third with no outs. After a wild pitch, and an error from third baseman Michael Bell, the Crawdads increased the lead to 8-3, and that would be the final score.
Aside from the early inning fireworks, the Stompers' offense could not generate any offense. Mustering only four hits, a majority of their base runners were walking batters.
The Stompers will look to move on from this loss when they face the Potters in Lincoln tomorrow night at 6:35 on the Stomper Radio Network.