“Consistency is a mark of a champion”, as the old saying goes.  The JV Dons have been demonstrating consistent results for many games now, lately employing the same basic script: start slow, scratch out some runs, pitch well, play solid defense, be patient at the plate, and the runs will come sooner or later.  On the Wednesday afternoon at Las Lomas, the Dons runs came later, just like in the previous few games, and the opponent’s runs never really came.  It took a while for the Dons to get going on offense.  It’s not that they didn’t have base runners — despite not having many base hits in early innings, the Dons did find ways to get on base — but bringing those runners home needed crisper execution.  Throughout the first 4 innings, several base runners were stranded and wiped out on double plays.  The Dons had been there before, and they kept swinging bats, knowing that the ball will bounce their way before too long.  Behind by a run, the Dons scratched one out in the 5th without getting a base hit: Jack Giorgianni got on with a hard ground ball that got muffed, moved up to 2nd on a sac bunt from Aleksey Volobuev, moved to 3rd on a passed ball, and scored on the Mason Zirkel’s RBI groundout.  The ball kept bouncing the Dons’ way in the 6th: Everett Glass hit another hard grounder that got the Bill Buckner treatment at 2B, Wyatt Cooper walked, and then Sully Bailey’s towering fly ball went through the hole in LF’s glove to load up the bases, with just one out.  Brady Quinn put an end to the Dons’ RISP frustrations by lining a solid single to score Everett and put the Dons ahead for good.  In the 7th, Dons got the insurance runs: Aleksey and Mason snagged back-to-back walks, moved up to 2nd/3rd on steals, and trotted home when Everett Glass hit a low line drive that hit the dirt just inside the LF line, a foot past the 3rd base bag, for a 2 RBI double.  Dons 4, Las Lomas Knights 1.  This was the lowest offensive output Dons had in a while, with 4 base hits, but 6 walks, 3 ROE, and 1 HBP certainly helped.  Everett did the most damage with his 2 RBI double, plus a walk and a run scored.  Brady had an RBI single, Sully had a hit, Mason had an RBI, a walk, and a run.  Aleksey used his 3 PAs efficiently to get a hit, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt, while also scoring a run.
For the third game in a row, the Dons pitching was just too much for the opponent.  Jack Giorgianni got the start, sporting a microscopic ERA over his previous 6 games, and actually lowered it, by giving up a single unearned run over 5 innings, on 3 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 4, all despite not having the basic benefit of an umpire behind the plate.  Much to the fan base delight, Jack broke out his trademark pickoff move in bottom 1st. In a 1st and 3rd situation, he dislodged the runner on 1st, which led to the lead runner getting cut down at home on a heads-up play by Sully and Aidan Yates. Peter Thorn stepped in as a reliever in the 6th, and made it look easy by sitting down all 6 batters he faced in order, slamming the door shut.  The Dons defense wasn’t flawless, but was tight nonetheless.  With Keegan Goddard patrolling center field, no fly balls were falling, and the “hot corner” at 3B manned by Brady Quinn was a continuous source of outs.
Dons will be traveling to Berkeley High on Friday (the game was rescheduled from Tuesday Apr 5) with a nice 9-0-2 record, aiming to hit the season half-way point without a loss.