As the school year approaches its end, so do spring sports. With seasons nearing their final regular-season games, many matches have higher stakes, including the varsity baseball game against Acalanes. The game, played on Friday, May 8, was in the Saint Mary’s baseball stadium.
The Cougars have played on the Saint Mary’s field before, but not against a rival such as Acalanes. This match was anticipated due to the rivalry, and was further dramatized by the environment of a collegiate stadium.
On May 5, only three days prior to the game at Saint Mary’s game, the Cougars played and beat the Dons. This turnaround time is extremely rare for high school games. Typically, a team will play one opponent early on, and then again weeks later – but rarely with only days in between games.
The result of the initial match was a 7-5 win for Campolindo. Although the score may seem like a smooth victory for the Cougars, Acalanes out-hit Campo. Senior Augie Martinez commented on the mistakes made in the first game: “We had some baserunning mistakes and some defensive errors we’re looking to clean up for Friday’s game.” Martinez caught in the game on Tuesday and hit .500, with two hits. He noted how Acalanes made more defensive errors, allowing Campo to capitalize and outscore them, despite having fewer overall hits.
Senior Tyler Rogers was the starting pitcher in the Friday game. “I’m trying not to think too much about it. The game plan is to throw strikes, and hopefully everything else falls into place,” he said before the game. He also mentioned how the team was planning on drumming up offense early to try and get ahead of Acalanes.
Acalanes had an aggressive start, putting up two runs in the first inning, but Campo responded quickly, scoring three in the bottom of the first. The score stayed relatively competitive until the fourth inning, when the Cougars scored four, putting them ahead. The 6th inning was the nail in the coffin, setting Campo’s runs at ten.
Campolindo’s baseball team, with a winning record of 14-6, is on fire this year, no doubt thanks to such a strong team as well as their new coach, Sean Riley. In comparison to their fourth-place ranking last year, the Cougars are currently third in the DAL league, and the season isn’t over yet.
The team has also cut their losses in half in comparison to their 2025 season. Junior Frankie Polichio spoke about the team overall: “Coach Riley has been really great, especially on the mental side of the game. He introduced ‘mental practice’ to the team every Wednesday. He’s also been really helpful for college recruiting.” Polichio also added, “the success this season is really because of the team. We have more guys stepping up that we didn’t have last year, and there is a new sense of grit on the team.”
The shortstop, Polichio, despite opening the game with a fielding error, hit leadoff with a .500 batting average. He was caught between home and third on the bases, but managed to make his way out of the rundown, safely back at third.
The pitching was high quality. Rogers opened the game, pitching for six innings, allowing four earned runs and two unearned runs. He had six strikeouts and one walk. Junior Evan Kelly closed out the game, allowing none, and striking out all three batters in the top of the seventh inning. Acalanes only had five strikeouts in comparison to Camplindo’s nine.
The game was highly offensive, and the Cougars did exactly what they planned to do: increase hits from the previous game. Campolindo had nine overall hits, in comparison to Acalanes’s seven.
On the bases, the Campolindo seniors stole a collective four bases: one from Cameron Mayo, one from Eli Dudum, and two from Augie Martinez. Acalanes, on the other hand, only stole one the whole game.
It’s safe to say that Campolindo’s triumph over Acalanes was resounding and a team effort. The collective out-hitting, stealing, and scoring led the Cougars to victory. Defense really brought the game home, though. Many players commented on how the seventh inning during their May 5 matchup was problematic. Acalanes had a comeback inning, where they scored four. The Cougars made sure the Dons didn’t have another inning like this late in the game on May 8.
With many seniors graduating this year, this final, regular season game against Acalanes was a high note to end their high school careers with, and set the stage for a new team next year to dominate.
