SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – After beginning the 2022 season 4-3 overall, the Del Campo High School varsity baseball team has won eight games in a row and 17 of their last 18.

The Cougars’ (21-4, 10-2 Capital Athletic League) only loss since March 16 came against Folsom (10-15, 3-9 Sierra Foothill) on April 11 as the Bulldogs narrowly prevailed 6-5. Del Campo has outscored its opponents by a whopping 152 runs at 184-32 in the 18 games played since March 16. Following a three-game sweep of Rio Americano (15-11, 10-5), the Cougars shifted their focus to another three-game Capital Athletic set, this time against El Camino (9-18, 4-11).

The first game of the series was hosted by the Eagles on Monday, April 25. Del Campo scored in every inning except the third and sixth, en route to a 7-0 shutout victory. The Cougars scored once in the first, second, fourth and seventh, respectively. In the fifth inning, Del Campo scored three times.

Junior center fielder Matt Moses continued to rake for the Cougars, going 4-for-5 with three hits (one double), one run scored, one run batted in, one stolen base and one walk. Senior pitcher Hayden Hughes earned the win on the mound for Del Campo, tossing a complete game with seven scoreless innings allowing two hits, one walk and one hit batter while striking out nine Eagles on 95 pitches.

Two days later, the second game of the series was held at Del Campo. For the second consecutive game, the Cougars nearly held El Camino hitless. Del Campo scored twice in the bottom of the third inning, once in the fourth and once in the fifth to ultimately beat the Eagles 4-0.

Senior Austin Hughes led the way for the Cougars at the plate Wednesday. The 6-foot-1 outfielder reached base in 2-of-3 plate appearances. Austin Hughes was hit by a pitch and blasted a solo home run, tallying one run, one hit and one run batted in. Moses earned another win on the bump for Del Campo, with six innings pitched and giving up only one hit and one balk with five Ks on 64 pitches.

RELATED: Del Campo sweeps Rio Americano, eyes Capital Athletic League title

The series finale Friday at El Camino was close for the first two innings… and not so much after that. The Cougars scored once in the top of the first inning and twice more in the second to lead 3-0 after two. Then, Del Campo scored seven runs in both the third and fourth innings, respectively, to take a commanding 17-0 lead. The Eagles scored one run in the bottom of the fifth for pride’s sake, but the game ended after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule as the final score was 17-1.

For all three games, the Cougars’ pitching staff limited El Camino to less than two hits, as the Eagles only had one in the series finale. Hayden Hughes had a strong day at the plate Friday, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances. The senior third baseman had three runs, two hits, two RBI, one walk and one HBP. Junior pitcher Auston Wilhelm got the win on the mound for Del Campo throwing a complete game with five scoreless innings, allowing one hit, one run, one walk and one HBP with five punchouts on 63 pitches.

The Cougars had one final game to finish the month, played on Saturday, April 30 at home in a tough non-league matchup against Metropolitan Conference Champion, McClatchy (21-3, 12-0 Metro). The Lions have one of the best prospects in the country with senior Malcolm Moore. The 6-foot-2 catcher is committed to play collegiately at Stanford, although he may forgo college if selected high enough for his liking in the upcoming 2022 MLB Draft beginning on July 17.

Moore wasn’t the only prospect committed to play college ball in the as his teammate, senior pitcher Mason Ogihara, is committed to Mid-America Christian University and Del Campo senior pitcher Jordan Jacobson is staying locally at Sacramento State. However, there were several scouts on hand for the matchup of 20+ win teams to watch not only the committed prospects, but also the rising stars.

RELATED: Battle of the Bay: River Cats return home to face Aviators

McClatchy came into the game Saturday on a win streak of their own, winners of eight in a row. In a battle of the winning streaks, one had to come to an end, and it was the Lions’ after a narrow 6-5 victory by the Cougars. Not only did Del Campo end McClatchy’s winning streak, but they also handed the Lions their first Sac-Joaquin Section loss of the season.

Until Saturday, McClatchy’s only two losses in 2022 came at a neutral site tournament to teams from Chula Vista, California and Henderson, Nevada in mid-April. The Lions started strong, scoring three times in the top of the first inning. The Cougars responded with one run in the bottom half of the inning.

Both teams scored one run in the second. McClatchy added another run in the top of the third to take a 5-2 lead. Del Campo trimmed its deficit to one with two runs in the home half of the third. The Cougars evened the score in the bottom of the seventh and then looked to Hayden Hughes to be the hero. Hughes came up clutch when his team needed him most, hitting the game-winning double down the line to win the game for Del Campo in the seventh.

Ironically, it was the Cougars’ Moore that led his team to victory. Senior utility player Tyler Moore went 4-for-4 with four hits (one double), two RBI and one run scored. Junior pitcher Evan Johnson earned the win on the bump for Del Campo, tossing four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk with three strikeouts on 60 pitches.

The Cougars conclude the regular season with a three-game home and away Capital Athletic series against Christian Brothers (8-15, 6-6) beginning on Monday, May 2. Del Campo needs to sweep the series from the Falcons to become the outright Capital Athletic League Champions. Otherwise, the Cougars could share the title with Vista Del Lago (20-5, 10-3) or even concede the crown to the Eagles. First pitch at Del Campo is scheduled for 4:15 P.M.