Crimson king
Kevin Sullivan helps lead younger Walnut Creek squad in Jr. American Legion By erik stordahl | SportStars
Playing with the older kids is something everyone has done at some point. It typically breeds a fair amount of bumps and bruises, maybe even a few tears. And often, quite a bit of losing. For some even, it leads to vowing never to play any kind of game (friendly or competitive) again. But for the Walnut Creek Crimson baseball team, it wants to play against the older kids. It’s all part of the plan. Composed mostly of freshmen and sophomores, the Crimson compete in the Junior American Legion summer league against teams with rosters full of juniors and seniors. While winning just four of its first 15 games, Walnut Creek wants the experience that comes with playing against the “big boys”. And with nothing at stake, it only makes sense. On July 3 at Northgate High, thanks to Kevin Sullivan, the plan looked like it just might be working. Having already lost the first game of a doubleheader to Deer Valley, the host Crimson turned to Sullivan. Sullivan, who just completed his sophomore year at Northgate, took the mound in hopes of silencing the Deer Valley bats that torched Walnut Creek for nine runs just a couple hours beforehand. The right-hander got off to a shaky start in the first inning. Sullivan allowed a hit to the leadoff batter, Michael Lanter, who proceeded to steal second base. After a passed ball, Sullivan got the next hitter to ground out to second base which scored Lanter from third. To say Sullivan calmed down after that would be an understatement. He continued to give up just one more hit and no runs over the next four innings, recording seven strikeouts in his five innings of work. “All my curves were over the plate,” Sullivan said afterward. “The umpire also had a wide (strike) zone so that was good.”
Of course any good pitcher knows he can’t hog all the credit; his catcher, Johnny Bloom, should command equal accolades. And Sullivan made sure to point that out. “I have good chemistry with the him,” Sullivan said. “I’ve been playing with (Johnny) since majors and little league.” But if Sullivan was going to earn the win he was going to need help from his offense. With the game locked at a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fourth, Ryan Ergo singled home Manny Garcia. After another RBI single followed and Walnut Creek took a 3-1 lead. Sullivan finally fell to Earth in the top of the sixth when he allowed a leadoff walk and another single to Lanter. Just like that his day on the mound was finished and he returned to his natural position in centerfield. Wait a second. Natural position? “I just started pitching this summer,” explains Sullivan. “I feel comfortable in the outfield, I’ve been doing that my whole life…but I’m going to try to be a pitcher for varsity.” Sullivan didn’t look like a first-timer on the mound. He never broke from his calm demeanor once, not even when he was yanked in the sixth in favor of Ben Krauth. A left-handed power pitcher, Krauth is the exact opposite of Sullivan. With a fastball reaching the mid-to-upper eighties, Krauth quickly frustrated a Deer Valley lineup that had just begun timing the finesse tosses of Sullivan. Deer Valley managed to stir up some drama in the seventh, however. A leadoff single, a walk and a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out. However, Krauth buckled down and coerced an RBI groundout to second and a game-ending fly ball to right as the Crimson took home the 3-2 victory. Krauth picked up the save after giving up a hit, two walks and one run while striking out two. And at least for one game, Walnut Creek looked like the big kids. ✪
Contact Erik at Erik@SportStarsMag.com.
Bob Larson photos
Walnut Creek’s Conner Bertuccelli (bottom photo) dives back into first base as Deer Valley’s Jacob Walker receives the ball during the July 3rd game in which Walnut Creek pitcher Kevin Sullivan (top photo) was dominating. 12
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July 8, 2010
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