Legends Let One Slip Away, Suffer First Loss to Crawdads
Oakland, Calif. – The Menlo Park Legends began California Collegiate League conference play with a road matchup against the Walnut Creek Crawdads on Tuesday. Those first conference games are always so crucial to get under your belt. The Legends got off to a good start and were engaged in a thrilling contest against the Crawdads, but a late surge from Walnut Creek led them to the 5-1 victory. Menlo Park suffered its first loss of the season, dropping the team to 2-1, while the Crawdads draw even on the season at 2-2.
It didn’t take long for the Legends to get their first and only run of the ballgame. Steven McLean led off with an infield single to the Crawdad’s second baseman. Just a few pitches later, R.J. Williams ripped a triple over the centerfielder’s head to score McLean and giving the Legends the early 1-0 advantage. Unfortunately for Menlo Park, Williams would be left stranded at third base with his teammates unable to drive him home. For the final eight innings, the Legends were only able to muster a Sean Watkins single in the third inning as a part of their three hits in the ballgame.
With the Legends bats scuffling, a pitching duel ensued on the mound. Alex Fernandez and Jacob Wilcox, two lefties, put on quite the show for fans. Jacob Wilcox got the start for the Legends and was very good in his first appearance, going six innings, allowing five hits, walking three and struck out six. The only trouble he got into was in the bottom of the sixth, walking Brady Weiss before allowing back-to-back hits to Connor Casperson and Myles Coston to score the first run for the Crawdads. Fernandez was just a tick better for Walnut Creek, going seven strong innings, allowing just the three hits, no walks, and five strikeouts.
The game would stay tied until the bottom of the eighth inning. Sheldon McClelland, who got the win on Opening Day, was on for his second full-inning of work when his command slipped away. McClelland walked Weiss with one out and then hit Casperson just a few pitches later. After a groundout, Marcos Valencia drew a walk to load the bases. Head Coach David Klein came out and brought in Sean Watkins to try and escape the jam and keep the game tied. Watkins allowed Alex Tsuruda to walk in the go-ahead run on a full count, and RJ Perkins brought home three more with a double. When the dust settled, the Crawdads had a four run lead entering the ninth and would not look back.
Menlo Park returns to action for a three-game series with the Alameda Merchants beginning on Wednesday, June 8. The first game is at 1:00 PM and game two is scheduled for 6:00 PM, both at the College of Alameda. Game three will conclude the series as the Legends return home for a 5:00 PM start. All three games of the series will be broadcasted live on the Legends Radio Network.
