The baseball JV Dons are off to an excellent start this season.  The Dons’ deep roster let them run away with a few games early, producing a some snoozers that lacked any intrigue beyond the first couple of innings.  This was not the case today, and the spectators got all the excitement they wanted, and then some.  After losing 7-1 at home, the College Park Falcons came out swinging, while the Dons started the game off flat.  Things didn’t look good for the Dons early, as they were down by 4 runs and couldn’t get much going against the Falcons ace starter Lucas Davel, who threw really good stuff and took full advantage of the generous strike zone.  After two shaky innings, the Dons defense stiffened, and they went to work on clawing their way back into the game.  With 2 down in the 3rd, James Stadt sent a hard grounder with eyes through the hole to the left, and Everett Glass beat out another hard grounder to 3B that took a nasty hop, and anarchy on the bases ensued.  Failing to get an out at 1st, Falcons tried to nail Everett at 3rd, threw the ball away, then tried to make a play at the plate, airmailed it again, and both runners ending up scoring.  Still down by two runs in the 5th, the Dons kept digging themselves out of the hole.  Brady Quinn legged out a hard grounder to short, and then Mason Zirkel got on base thanks to a bobbled grounder to 2B, and advanced to 2nd without a throw on the next pitch.  With runners on 2nd and 3rd, James Stadt hit another hard grounder for an RBI fielder’s choice.  The comeback was completed in the bottom 6th, when Paul Kuhner sent a line drive over the 3rd base bag for a long single, stole 2nd, and it was Brady Quinn shining at the plate again, with a grounder RBI single.  With the score tied at 4, a tense pitchers’ duel followed.  The Falcons’ starter remained in the game, despite a seriously high pitch count, and Mason was facing him off out-for-out.  No one could get anything going in the 7th and then in the 8th.  At this point, the Falcons’ starter was still in the game in the bottom 9th, and ended up throwing a 113-pitch complete game…but his luck would run out.  “The Scourge of the Falcons” Brady stepped up to the plate and got beaned on the first pitch, and it was small ball time.  Henry Garbo stepped in to pinch hit, and laid down a perfect clutch bunt to the right side. Henry was safe when the first baseman got pulled off the bag. The 1B then decided to try to nail Brady who was sliding into 3rd — not in time.  With runners on the corners and one out, Mason stepped up to the plate and helped his winning pitcher cause by dropping another perfect bunt into the no-man’s land a few feet in front of the catcher, too shallow for anyone but the catcher to get, but not shallow to get the speedy Brady sliding home for the win.  Walk off!! Dons 5, Falcons 4.
Brady Quinn was unquestionably the star of the game, going 2-3 + HBP, 2 R and an RBI, sharing the honors with Mason Zirkel who delivered the walk-off RBI bunt single (and stellar pitching).  The Dons perhaps don’t win this game without Henry Garbo’s execution off the bench. Everett Glass had a hit, a run, and an RBI.  James, Keegan Goddard, Paul also collected base hits.  Peter Thorn got the start for Acalanes, and after a rocky start pitched 4 solid innings, giving up 4 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, fanning two and walking no one.  Mason stepped in as a (long) reliever, and completely shut the Falcons down over the last 5 innings, a walk away from a perfect half-game: 0R, 0H, 9K.  Mason and Brady also supplied the defensive highlight of the game, when Mason ended top 1st by snagging a low line drive that seemed destined to go to the outfield for an RBI single, and doubling off the incredulous base runner off 3rd.  
JV Dons are taking their winning streak and 6-0-1 record to Northgate next week for another home/away two-game series.