The boys made the short drive to Moraga on Tuesday to take on the Campolindo Cougars. The rain
started right before game time and continued for most of the two and a half hour contest.

Junior hurler Henry Souza started on the hill for Acalanes and pitched well enough to get a win, but the bullpen and defense could not hold a late lead in the wet and muddy conditions. The Dons eventually fell 6-3.

Souza went 4 and a 1/3 innings, giving up 4 hits, 4 walks and 1 run, as he recorded 5 strikeouts. “Rubber
Arm” Peter Thorn relieved him and got out of a bases loaded jam in the 5th inning to preserve the Don’s
2-1 lead. Peter started the 6th inning and loaded the bases before Sully Bailey relieved him.
Bailey threw strikes and then made an amazing catch on a rocket hit back to the pitcher before he yielded a walk to force in a run for the game to be tied up at 2-2. Mason Zirkel, in a rare relief appearance, replaced Sully and inherited a 2-0 count, with the bases loaded. Zirkel came in throwing strikes and was able to get the count to 3-2 before two uncharacteristic Acalanes errors under rainy conditions opened the flood gates and allowed 4 unearned runs to give the Cougars a 6-2 lead.

The Don’s scoring started in the 2nd inning when Nico O’Rourke walked, Sammy Lee singled and Benji
O’Rourke reached on a two out error to knock in his brother Nico and give the boys a 1-0 lead.

Campolindo came back with two doubles in their half of the frame to tie the game at 1-1.
The contest remained tied until the top of the 4th inning when Mason Michlitsch hit a two out bomb that
one hopped the fence in centerfield for a double of his own. Mason Zirkel followed with a hard single to
center to knock in Michlitsch and give the Dons a 2-1 lead. Michlitsch ran an amazing evasive route to score that precious go ahead run.

Zirkel was able to turn two double plays at second base with his old JV teammate, shortstop James Stadt, and made a quality running catch in the 4th inning, with two outs and runners on, to preserve the 2-1.

The Cougars 5 run outburst during the stormy 6th inning made it 6-2 heading into the Acalanes half of the 7th inning. If the boys were to go down, they were going to go down swinging. Benji O’Rourke led off with a single, followed by James Stadt reaching after he was hit by a pitch. Andrew Habas then walked to load the bases. Nico O’Rourke responded with an RBI single to cut the lead to 6-3, but that is as close as the Dons would get.

Fortunately the boys get another crack at Campo on Thursday at Acalanes, at 4pm. Let’s beat the
Cougars! Come on out and support the Dons in their quest to beat Campolindo. Go Dons!