Sometimes baseball can just be a strange game, and on Thursday it was for the Dons as they faced off in a non-stop rain affair against a good Pittsburgh team.  The Dons handed the soggy ball to Benjy Braunstein, who came into the game having thrown 2 complete games in a row.

We should have known we were in for an unusual ride when Benjy recorded the first 2 outs on 2 pitches, and then needed an additional 12 pitches to finish off the first inning.  Miles Bergman (sr) led off the bottom of the 1^st with a scorching line drive double to center.  Will Berrien (sr) then one-upped Bergman by tripling to left center and came home to score on a Kyle White (sr) sacrifice fly to right.  Dons 2-Pittsburgh 0

With the rain continuing to come down, the Pittsburgh pitcher called for some quick dry dirt to be added to the mound so he wouldn’t slip.  In the middle of applying it, the sprinklers in right field unexpectedly turned on.  It was a strange scene with the rain pouring down and the game held up because sprinklers were tacking on additional water to the outfield.  After a 25-minute delay, the game re-started and Pittsburgh immediately turned a double play to end the 1^st inning, and the momentum felt like it might have shifted.  And so it did!

In the 3^rd inning Pittsburgh was able to put up 2 unearned runs as wet balls gobbled up the Dons defense and induced some uncharacteristic errors to a normally solid Dons defense, but that’s what rain and heavy, wet balls will do. 

With the score tied in the bottom of the 4^th, White drew a lead-off walk.  He advanced to second on a Sammy Lee (jr) line drive single to center, and then to 3^rd on a well-executed Gavin Bender (soph) bunt.  Bender beat out the throw and the Dons had the basses loaded with 0 outs.  With the rain still falling, the Dons were smelling runs, but two pitches later Pittsburgh turned a rare triple play and got out of the inning unscathed.  Momentum change.

Benjy and the Pittsburgh pitchers traded scoreless 5^th and 6^th innings and the tension was building.  Pittsburgh was able to move a runner to 2^nd in the top of the 7^th inning with one out, when after a fierce 8 pitch at bat, the Pittsburgh batter hit a line drive to Berrien in center field, who easily caught the ball and doubled up the runner at 2^nd.  Momentum change.

With one out in the bottom of the 7^th, Luke Souza (sr) drew a walk.  Souza alertly advanced to second on a ball that got away from the catcher, and advanced to 3rd when Dante Montgomery (sr) laid down a perfect bunt and beat the throw to 1^st.  Pittsburgh opted to walk the hot hitting Bergman, and with 2 outs Nico O’Rourke (sr) stepped to the plate with the bases loaded.  Nico had already taken a hard hit to the helmet in the 1^st inning, when the first pitch out of the Pittsburgh pitcher’s hand was a curve ball which that found its way to Nico’s helmet.  Hit-by-pitch, runners advance, Souza crosses the plate and the Dons win on a walk-off!  Benjy earns his 3^rd complete game in a row (93 pitches, 66% strikes, 4 hits, 1 BB), the Dons get their 8^th win in their last 9 games, and wet fans get to go home and warm up.

Next up for the Dons is Tamalpais High away on Saturday (noon), before they return to league play with games against Miramonte next week (4pm home Tuesday and away Thursday).  Hoping for better weather, and hard to imagine the games will be as peculiar.