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On a perfect day for baseball, it was almost a perfect game for the Yellowjackets. Almost. 

With ace pitcher Moses Kopner out with an arm injury, sophomore Sean Souders stepped in an pitched a complete-game masterpiece, leading Berkeley to a 7-1 victory over De Anza in the ACCAL opener. Souders, who threw six innings of no-hit ball against Freedom on Friday, should have had a shutout, but a two-out error in the seventh inning handed De Anza its lone run. 

“Statistically, it’s a little disappointing, but I’m just glad we were able to open the season with a win,” Souders said. 

Souders, who only found out he was starting an hour before the game, allowed just three hits and three walks on the day. He had the De Anza hitters pounding the ball into the ground all day, getting 12 ground ball outs. 

“It’s easy when you get good defense, because you aren’t afraid to throw strikes and let them hit the ball,” Souders said. 

When Souders got in a little trouble in the fourth inning, the defense helped bail him out. After Clint Tanaka singled to open the inning, catcher John Mello gunned him down trying to steal. De Anza’s Kyle Toy followed with another single, but Berkeley second baseman Lee Franklin snuffed the threat with a diving stop for the third out. 

Meanwhile, the ’Jackets (7-3 overall, 1-0 ACCAL) were chipping away at De Anza starter John Schlager for seven runs in four innings. It started in the first, as Berkeley strung together three singles and a walk for two runs. Two innings later, right fielder Bennie Goldenberg knocked a clutch single to left, bringing home two more runs for a 4-0 lead. 

Berkeley finished its scoring in the fourth inning with another two-out hit. Center fielder Jason Moore came up with men on first and second and lined a triple into the right-centerfield gap, scoring both runners. Left fielder Clinton Calhoun followed with a single to plate Moore, and Souders had more than enough cushion. 

“We got timely hitting when we needed it, and we took advantage of opportunities,” Berkeley head coach Tim Moellering said. 

But just when it looked like Souders had a shutout locked up, the Berkeley defense faltered. With two outs and runners on the corners, De Anza’s Brian Hansen hit a routine grounder to replacement second baseman DeAndre Miller. Miller booted the ball, tossing to second just late, and De Anza had its run. 

“Sean has been outstanding lately. He’s hardly given up any hits,” Moellering said. “He gets better every time he goes out there.