WINDSOR, CA, February 28, 2026 — The Acalanes Freshman Dons (1-2) traveled north Saturday for an early-season doubleheader against the Windsor Jaguars. The weekend tilt featured 23 Dons hits, one extra inning affair, and a late inning comeback.

Game 1: Dons Rally Late, Lose 6-5 in 10-Inning Heartbreaker

The opener turned into a marathon.

Acalanes pounded out 17 hits, out-hitting Windsor 17–6, with seven different players recording multi-hit games. It was an offensive performance that kept the Dons in it all afternoon.

Ian Powell led the charge at the plate, going 3-for-5 with an RBI, while Drew Megibow reached base in all four of his plate appearances, finishing 2-for-2 with an RBI and two walks. Jonny Rubin added a 2-for-5 performance that included a double, two runs scored, and three stolen bases. Tyler Cosso, Jackson Cooper, and Stone Jaquet also turned in multi-hit efforts, as the lineup stayed productive and relentless from top to bottom. 

After falling behind late, the Dons entered the top of the seventh inning behind by two and down to their final outs.

Cooper sparked the rally with a leadoff single. Jaquet moved him over with a productive groundout to first. Rubin followed with a walk, and Cooper advanced before scoring on a passed ball to cut the deficit to 5–4.

Rubin then stole second and third. With two outs and the Dons down to their final strike, Luke Fishman poked a single to right field, bringing Rubin home to tie the game at 5–5 and force extra innings.

Starting on the bump was the Dons imposing 6’ 2” righty Bobbie Ruhl. The crafty freshman scattered 2 hits over 3 1/3 innings before handing the ball over to Rubin in the bottom of the 4th with bases loaded. After giving up 2 runs, he was able to battle out of the jam. Rubin struck out 2 in 1 2/3 innings, allowing no earned runs on 2 hits. Cooper the came in to close out the 6th. Anthony Bishop anchored the defense for all 10 innings, managing four pitchers, blocking balls in the dirt, and keeping everything steady behind the plate from first pitch to last.

From there, it became a battle of wills.

Megibow stepped to the mound in the 7th and was outstanding, throwing 3 2/3 innings and allowing no earned runs while striking out three. The Dons battled through the extra frames before Windsor pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the tenth. 

While it was a tough way to lose, the comeback effort and offensive depth were harbingers of a season on the brink of dominance.

Game 2: Strong Pitching, Limited Chances in 4–1 Loss

In the second game, Acalanes ran into a hard-throwing Windsor right-hander who kept the Dons off balance all afternoon. Mixing a lively fastball with a sharp curveball, he struck out seven of the 21 batters he faced and induced a steady stream of easy outs.

The Dons showed early promise out of the lead-off spot when Jaquet ripped a leadoff double deep over the center fielder’s head. Unfortunately, he remained stranded at second.

Cooper continued his strong day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Megibow added two hits and scored the Dons’ lone run.

On the mound, the Dons were solid. Fishman, Cosso, and Jacob Kubalik combined to allow six hits, striking out four, and surrendering just three earned runs. The defense played error-free baseball with Alex Choi handling the catcher duties with fortitude.

The Dons, hoping to pull off some more late inning magic, mounted a fierce rally down 4-0 with 3 outs remaining. Megibow started it off with a sharp line drive single. Luke Kelly followed with a hard line drive single between short and third, moving Megibow to third after an aggressive read on a wild pitch. Cooper then delivered, lifting a fly ball single to right that brought Megibow home to cut the deficit to 4–1, with Kelly advancing to third and Cooper taking second on the throw. From there, the rally was cut short despite bringing the tying run to the plate.

The Takeaway

While the record will show two losses, both games revealed a team characteristic that will serve the team as they move into league play. Down to their final outs, the Dons refused to fold. They battled back, pressured the defense, and ran aggressively throughout both games.

Next up, the team heads to Dublin on Monday 3/2. Go Dons!