HERE COME THE DONS!

The Acalanes Freshman Baseball team opened up their 2022 season with a sweep of a doubleheader versus Dublin, winning the first game 14-6 and the second game 8-7 in extra innings. The future looks bright for Acalanes with 13 different players getting at least one hit, and 9 different players driving in at least one run over the two games. Cruz Lopez led the team with four hits, and Ben Pecci led the team with 4 RBIs over the weekend.

Brendan Miles got the start in game 1, pitching 3 strong innings and giving up just 3 earned runs. After some assistance by Dublin fielding errors, Ben Pecci got the scoring started for the Dons with a monster shot to left field, driving in 3 runs with a double. Dublin tied up the score at 3 in the top of 2nd, but then Acalanes broke the game open in the bottom of the second, highlighted by a triple over the center fielder by David Gonzales. Jake Colaco came in relief and pitched 4 solid innings, giving up only 1 earned run with 5 Ks. Whenever the Dons found themselves in a jam, the defense found a way to get out of it, with double plays. There were two out of center field (catch and throw out) and one at the plate for a force and then throwout at 1^st base, with Austin Wampler 3B and Brody Greenfield C making the latter highlight for the Dons. In the top of the 7^th, Cruz Lopez finished the scoring with a triple over the right fielder, coming home on a throw, and sliding into home to beat the throw, causing the crowd and team to go crazy. The final score in game one was 14-6.

Game 2 was a much tighter ballgame.  David Gonzales got the start, pitching 4 innings and giving up 3 earned runs. Sam Bishop got the Dons on the board first with a double to left field. Acalanes jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the bottom of the 3rd, with Hank Bauer, Jake Megibow, and Dom Patitucci leading the way.  Dublin battled back and tied the game 7-7 in the 6^th inning. The Dons turned to Jake Megibow to shut Dublin down, and that’s exactly what he did. Jake pitched 2 innings, giving up no runs in that high pressure situation, striking out 4, and setting the stage for the dramatic finish. In the bottom of the 8^th, David Gonzales led the inning with a double over the center fielder. He later advanced to 3^rd on a deep fly out by Jake Megibow to center field. Dom Patitucci drew a four pitch walk, and David Roux was intentionally walked, after collecting 3 hits for the day. Jake Colaco came up and battled at the plate, eventually popping the ball deep into the air. The pitcher misread the ball, dropped the ball, and the winning run scored from 3rd—a walk off win for the Dons, 8-7.