The Acalanes JV Baseball team plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh, and once again relied on their steady and efficient pitching staff, to earn a 5-5 tie against Las Lomas High School in Lafayette on Thursday.

The Dons opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning when Mateo Valenzuela ripped a double over the center fielder’s head and Jonny Rubin followed with a single up the middle.  Both players came around to score on an infield error by Las Lomas, and the Dons took an early 2-0 lead.  

Jackson Garbo started on the bump for the Dons and pitched well.  He held Las Lomas scoreless for the first three innings, but the Knights rallied for three runs in the fourth (all with two outs) before Isaiah Castillo came in to relieve Garbo and got the final out of the inning.  After four innings, it was anybody’s game with the Knights leading 3-2.      

Las Lomas managed to add two more unearned runs in the top of the fifth inning to increase their lead to 5-2.

But the Dons were not done yet.  With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Aiden Jeffery singled on a hard grounder to right field and Mateo Valenzuela was hit by a pitch, allowing the tying run to come to the plate.  Jonny Rubin, who had just been called up from the freshman team and playing in his first JV game, ripped a double to left-center, scoring Jeffery and putting baserunners at second and third with one out.  Jack Patel then came to the plate and legged out an infield single, scoring both Valenzuela and Rubin, and the Dons tied the game 5-5.  Las Lomas managed to get the final two outs of the inning, and the teams battled to a 5-5 tie.

Jonny Rubin anchored the JV Dons offense against Las Lomas, going 3-4 with 2 Runs and an RBI.  Jack Patel (1-1, 2 RBI), Mateo Valenzuela (1-2, 2 Runs) and Aiden Jeffery (1-3, 1 Run) also contributed at the plate.  Through the first five games of the season, the JV Dons have relied heavily on their solid  pitching staff, and Thursday against Las Lomas was no exception.  Jackson Garbo (3.2 IP, 3 ER, 3 SO) and Isaiah Castillo (3.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 SO) shined on the mound, keeping the JV Dons in the game and setting up another late-inning comeback.

Next week, the JV Dons (1-3-1) take on a tough Piedmont High School team on Tuesday in Lafayette, then travel to Orinda to play the Miramonte Matadors on Thursday.