Hastings and Martin and some good defense is honorable but isn’t enough for the win.

A.J. Hastings and Reid Martin took it upon themselves to stand up for the many and multiple uncouth displays made by the charter school kids of Clayton on the baseball field against the Dons in recent memory. The two, who usually have no trouble doing so, stood tall on the mound Tuesday against the best Whitey Ford impersonator that the Eagles could recruit from the nearby four area codes. As is the nature of gentlemen in a duel, the pitchers, first starter Hastings, then his second, reliever Martin, were dignified going pitch for pitch and inning for inning with their opponent before succumbing 1-0. Hastings scattered two hits and two walks over his two innings of work and Martin picked up just where he left off last week, striking out five, giving up 3 hits and one lone earned run in his five innings of relief.

It didn’t hurt to have a Dons defense that didn’t commit an error, and a centerfielder that pretty much patrolled foul pole to foul pole it seemed. Zach Birrell qualified for the DAL track meet this weekend in both the sprints and long distance, as he routinely raced into the gaps to track down balls of the Eagles’ bats. And then did it again an inning later. Making just his second start at third base for the JV, Paul Bacon smoothly gobbled up groundballs and turned them into outs.

The stalwart pitching duo unfortunately did not have the support they deserved. After a momentum-snuffing 8-6-5 relay to nab Clayton Valley’s leadoff hitter in the first trying to take third after a deep shot to left field, it looked like the Dons might stage a two-out rally in the bottom of the opening inning, when a long-overdue David Roux hit by pitch loaded the bases. All three runners perished on base though. It would be the Dons’ pattern all game, with runners stranded in scoring position six out of seven innings.

The Dons scratched out only two hits, one by Cody Michlitsch in the third and the other by second baseman Kyle Woodson in the fourth. The Dons struck out 9 times.

The Dons, resting some arms, rolled out a starting infield of Bacon at third, Michlitsch at shortstop, Kyle Woodson at second, and Reid Martin at first base. Kyler Roberts got the start in right field.

The JV boys hope to return the favor when they visit Clayton on Thursday.