10 and counting for Dons

But there is more to the moniker than that. With a PAL-leading five home runs and 15 of his 23 hits going for extra bases, teams have been extremely careful pitching to Grant. San Mateo gave him the Barry Bonds treatment during Thursday’s 5-2 win over San Mateo, as the Bearcats intentionally walked Grant four times.

The last of which loaded the bases which Conor Hourigan cleared with his first career grand slam to turn a 1-1 tie into a 5-1 Aragon lead that sent the Dons to their 10th straight victory.

That includes six in a row in league play, since a 9-6 loss to Menlo-Atherton March 19.

The Dons are becoming the class of the Peninsula Athletic League’s Ocean Division and they’re doing it by playing fundamental baseball: strong hitting, pitching and defense.

And while Aragon does have a few key guys to carry the team — add shortstop Jace Jeremiah and starting pitcher Adam Bever to the Grant, Hourigan mix — it’s been a complete team effort as the Dons have compiled a 7-1 record in Ocean Division play and 14-3 overall. They hold a two-game lead over both Half Moon Bay and Woodside, who enter play next week with 5-3 records.

The offense has been paced by Grant, who is among the most feared hitters on the Peninsula. But Hourigan and Jeremiah are right there with him. All three have OPS numbers (onbase-plus-slugging percentage) of over 1.000, which is Bondsian. As a team, the Dons are batting .309, best in the division.

“They’re three or four guys (who do damage), but the rest is team stuff,” Souza said. “The rest (of the team) is finding productive ways to score runs. There’s a ton of ways to score in baseball.”

In an 8-6 win over El Camino April 11, the Dons had a runner at second when Thomas Calvo swung at a pitch in the dirt that got away from the catcher. Calvo hustled down to first on the dropped third strike, beating the throw and the runner going to third on the play.

That drew a throw from the first baseman, who sailed it over the third baseman’s head and allowed the runner to score.

But even the best, most opportunistic offense needs strong pitching and defense and the Dons have delivered that this season. Bever and Hourigan have formed one of the most potent 1-2 punches in the PAL and the staff, as a whole, has been dealing this season, posting an overall ERA of 2.05 and 2.50 in Ocean Division play, second behind Woodside’s 1.75. While a lot of it has to do with talent, there is also the fact the pitching staff trusts the defense behind them.

“It’s easier to challenge hitters with the defense (we have) behind us,” said Bever, a senior with a 2.70 ERA this season and a combined 2.33 over the last two seasons.

With Bever and Hourigan fronting the rotation, Souza knew defense would be key. To that end, the Dons used a drill in practice which saw the team broken up around the bases and then they just played catch around the horn.

“We told ourselves, we knew we had Bever and Conor. … who puts us in position to win. We made a point to play catch. We got up to 200 (throws and catches without an error in practice),” Souza said. “It’s upgraded every aspect of our practice. … We try to hold them a little more accountable this year.”

All facets of the game were on point in the Dons’ season-opening 9-1 win over Jefferson. Not only did they put up nine runs, Hourigan and two relievers — Pete Ingargiola and Colby Stevens — combined to throw a no-hitter.

They have carried that momentum since.

“Playing catch is a huge part of the game,” Grant said. “If you can keep the errors to a minimum, you have a chance (to win).”

Throughout all of this, the Dons are having fun, which was apparently a far cry from last year’s team.

“Last year, we lost some games early we probably should have won. In a sense, we put our heads between our tails,” Bever said. “This year we have better chemistry.”

The words “team” and “chemistry” were common themes among the players and everyone believes that has helped the Dons’ cause in 2019. It’s a nice cycle to be in: players are having fun because they’re winning, and they’re winning because they’re having fun.

“We’re excited with a 10-game winning streak. We’re all happy we’re playing as a team,” Hourigan said. “Last year, we didn’t do that. We wanted to change the environment this year. … I’m having a lot of fun.”

Aragon’s play has drawn the attention of Cal Hi Sports Bay Area, the locally produced high school sports highlight show that covers the Bay Area. The Dons will be in the show’s San Jose studios for a team interview Monday before they embark on their toughest stretch of the season. They have a two-game set with Half Moon Bay next week, followed by a pair with Woodside, before closing the regular season with two against a Mills team still looking for its first Ocean Division victory.

“I have a lot of respect for this league. There’s a lot of front-line pitching,” Souza said. “But when we swept El Camino, when we swept San Mateo, my confidence in the squad went through the roof.”