By Ryan Owens, Online Sports Editor
// The warmer weather might have had something to do with the smoking hot bats of the Acalanes Dons Tuesday, April 23.
The Dons scored in all but one inning and the pitching staff surrendered only one run as Acalanes cruised to a 10-1 victory over rival Campolindo on the sunny afternoon.
Junior Logan Hurd gave his team yet another quality outing, as the recent Loyola Marymount commit pitched four solid innings while giving up one run and striking out five Campo batters.
The Dons got going at the plate early. In the first two innings, they scored five runs, as junior Nick Kresnak drove in one run and sophomore Sam Heyman laid down a perfect bunt to plate another run.
“It was important to get on the board early. It was great that we were able to continue to add to the lead,” junior Will Easley said.
Acalanes blew the game wide open in the bottom half of the fourth. Heyman found the gap in right-center for an RBI triple. Then junior Luke Miles came up with a huge pinch-hit single that scored two runs and gave the Dons a 9-1 lead.
“I was just trying to get the ball on the ground and move the runners over,” Miles said of his approach.
With an eight-run lead, sophomore Michael Castelli came on in relief for Hurd, conceding one hit and striking out two in two innings of work. Castelli got some help from his defense in the fifth, as sophomore Davis Diaz and junior Cole Murgia turned a sweet double play to end the inning.
The Dons tacked on one more run in their half of the sixth, with sophomore Brady Huchingson getting the team’s twelfth hit of the day.
Easley made his first appearance on the mound in the seventh. He struck out the side, with two Campo batters looking at strike three.
“It felt good to be out there for the first time. Hurd and Castelli pitched well before me and I was happy to get an opportunity,” Easley said.
The Dons will look to complete a sweep of the Cougars in Moraga on April 25.
“It always feels great to beat Campo. We will have to hit and pitch well to beat them again,” Miles said.