The Varsity Baseball team continued their winning ways on Monday against the Las Lomas Knights with a 10-4 win that pushed their impressive record to 6-0. The campus was buzzing with a Varsity Baseball came against a local rival and a Varsity Softball game against a league foe going on simultaneously. Both teams were victorious. It was a great day to be a Don! The early season recipe for success for the boys has been pitching and defense, but offense ruled the day for the home 9 on this March afternoon.

The boys in blue plated runs in 4 of their 6 innings with third baseman Gavin Bender, shortstop James Stadt and second baseman Mason Zirkel leading the way with two hits each.  Coach Hornsby continued to play small ball with skillful bunting, timely base running and a relentless Acalanes offensive attack.

The Dons got the scoring started in the bottom of the 2^nd inning.  Gavin Bender smoked a line drive single to left field before Mason Zirkel laid down another perfect bunt on the third base line to advance Bender.  With two outs in the inning, DH Isaac Copen came up and drilled a ball down the line, off the third baseman and into left field to score Gavin and give the boys a 1-0 lead.

In the 3^rd inning the Dons blew the game wide open.  Right fielder David Gonzales walked and stole two bases before catcher Benji O’Rourke drove him in with a single to center field. Paul “Flash” Kuhner came in to run for Benji and promptly stole second base. First baseman Sully Bailey walked and with 2 outs Mason Zirkel singled to left to load the bases. James Stadt then took a 1-2 pitch to right field for a single to knock in Kuhner and Bailey and give the Dons a 4-0 lead. After another walk it was left fielder Everett Glass’s turn and he promptly singled to left to plate Zirkel and Stadt and push the lead to 6-0.

The Knights fought back with 3 unearned runs in the top of the 4^th and another run in the 5^th to cut the Acalanes lead to 6-4 before the boys got after it again in their half of the frame. Gavin Bender led off with another knock, Mason Zirkel was hit by a pitch to put two runners on before James Stadt singled again to load the bases. Everett Glass then laid down a daring, prefect suicide squeeze bunt on a 2-2 count to score Bender and stretch the Dons lead to 7-4 with Everett’s third RBI of the game. With two outs a Knights error allowed Zirkel and Stadt to score to push the lead to 9-4 after 5 innings. Mason also singled in the 6^th inning to knock in Sully Bailey to complete the scoring for the day and lock in a 10-4 victory for the boys in blue.

Jake Colaco started on the mound and went 3.2 innings, giving up no earned runs and striking out 4 before Branson Smith relieved him.  Branson got the boys out of the 4^th before getting in a little trouble in the 5^th inning.  Veteran hurler Peter Thorn came in and put out the fire in the 5^th, before pitching a clean 6^th inning.  Hank Bauer took the bump and pitched a scoreless 7^th to finish the win for Acalanes.  The pitchers scattered 6 hits and 6 walks and recorded 7 strikeouts in the W.

The boys take on the Tamalpais Red Tailed Hawks on Thursday in Lafayette at 4pm. There was another solid crowd at Monday’s game.  Let’s pack the house against this highly rated Tamalpais squad. The boys are clearly “All In”. Are you? You can’t beat fun at the old ballpark. Come out for the game this week. 

Let’s Go Dons!!!