Senior John Treat's RBI gave the Dons an early 2-1 lead against Campolindo Photo Doug Kohen

It was rivalry week for Lafayette baseball as the Acalanes Dons faced off against both Campolindo and Miramonte. The Matadors and Cougars finished first and second, respectively, in last year's DFAL standings and the Dons were out to prove that they, too, are a powerhouse in the league.

The first rivalry game for the Dons was on April 15th, a home game against Campolindo. After the first three innings, the Dons had built up a tight 2-1 lead thanks to an RBI by senior John Treat. But that second run scored by Acalanes would be its last as Campolindo's sophomore pitcher James Marvel shut out the Dons for the remainder of the game. He finished with a complete game: seven innings, five hits, four strikeouts and just two earned runs.

The game remained at 2-1 in favor of the Dons until the top of the sixth inning when the Cougars had an offensive explosion. Led by sophomore Josh Cushing, who finished the game with four RBI's, the Cougars scored a remarkable 10 runs in the inning. One more run in the seventh inning, just for good measure, sealed the deal for Campolindo who won with a final score of 12-2.

Following that loss and another 2-1 heartbreaker against Dublin, the Dons traveled to Orinda to face off against the Matadors on April 22nd. Going into the game, the Matadors were sporting a perfect 4-0 DFAL record and 15-1 overall record. The Dons were on a mission to upset the first-seed Matadors.

The game began with some big offense for both teams. Miramonte hit a clutch two-run triple but Acalanes bounced back with a huge five run inning. Trevor La Honta, a senior third baseman for the Dons, commented on the ensuing innings: "It was a dog fight till the end. We'd get a run they'd get another run. We'd make good plays in the field, they'd make good plays. It went back and forth." The game did indeed go back and forth and after seven regulation innings the game was still tied. In extra innings the game remained knotted up until the bottom of the tenth inning when a booted ball to the shortstop scored a Miramonte runner from second base. The Matadors outlasted the Dons 9-8 in ten innings.

Acalanes, however, was not to be discouraged after the tough loss to Miramonte. After the game La Honta said, "This game proved that we match up with everyone in the league and can compete against any team for the league title."

The Dons are currently fourth place in DFAL with a 2-3 record, behind Miramonte (5-0), Alhambra (4-1), and Campolindo (2-2).