Campolindo Baseball Sweeps Acalanes

The Campolindo varsity baseball team visited Acalanes on Tuesday, April 29, and got a 2-0 victory over their rival. They followed that triumph with another game at home against the Dons on Thursday, May 1, that went to extra innings. Campolindo also won the second game against Acalanes, six runs to five in the ninth inning.
The Cougars came into Tuesday’s game with a league record of zero wins and four losses. The team sat near the bottom of the league standings with rivalry week coming up. The Cougars were coming off two bad losses to Benicia in a game that went to extra innings and a game that was a blowout. Senior infielder Jack Luster called the games against Acalanes the “biggest week of the whole year.”
The game was also important to the Cougars because of the rivalry. The game against Acalanes is always one of the biggest games of the year for any team at Campo. Senior infielder and pitcher Will Myers said, “It means a lot because they’re kids that we grew up with and we’ve been rivals with them since we were little. Being able to get one last hoorah in senior year is great, and it’s been a long road against those guys.” Even though the game was highly important for the team due to the standings and the long-time rivalry, the week was no different. Myers noted that the practice was the same as every week, but the mental preparation was different.
After a much-needed 2-0 victory in Tuesday’s game thanks to a shutout by pitcher Colin Rutzen, the Cougars prepared to protect home court while missing their leadoff hitter, Blake Robison. Luster said the second game of the series was just as important as the first. On Thursday, Campolindo took an early 3-1 lead in the second inning because of a home run by catcher Augie Martinez. However, Acalanes tied the game at three in the fourth inning. The Cougars took the lead in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI from Jack Luster and an error from Acalanes. Campolindo extended that lead to two, but the Dons tied the game up at five in the final inning. The game went to extra innings, staying tied past the eighth. In the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, sophomore Max Olson hit a walkoff single, and Jack Luster scored the final run to win the game.
Luster called his game at the plate on Tuesday disappointing, but he bounced back on Thursday with a great performance. The senior went 2-3 with a single and a double while also getting two walks. He was also the lead runner in the bottom of the ninth that secured the Cougars’ victory. As for Will Myers, he stepped up by hitting .500 throughout the two games. He also threw two innings of shutout baseball, but Myers also said that the most important thing is that they got the win.
The game was an up-and-down matchup for the Cougars, and Myers said, “Winning as a team was probably the biggest part. Being able to get ahead, stay ahead, come back, and being able to battle with adversity with the boys was good. Coming away with the two dubs was great.” The two wins were monumental for the Cougars since they improved their league record by adding two wins to it. Junior infielder Cameron Mayo said, “I like how we stood in Thursday’s game at home and continued to battle. We didn’t give up our focus or intensity and had good tempo and got the win.”
The team hopes to continue their winning streak in their final series of the year against Clayton Valley before they get ready for the playoffs. The wins against Acalanes got the team out of a bad slump. “It’s a big morale boost coming off the Aca sweep, and our motives are gonna be up for our next few games,” said Mayo. The Cougars are nearing the end of their season, but NCS still awaits them. Myers said, “We’ll see where we’re seeded for NCS, and I think we’re on a good track right now. We’re looking forward to these next few games and hopefully bringing another championship to Campolindo.”