It’s a beautiful summer evening at Piedmont’s Coaches Field. The skies are blue, the temperature is pleasant, the hills are alive with the metal clink of bats hitting balls.
Chris Lundin steps up at the plate and promptly blasts the ball over the left-center field fence. The 70-year old is the oldest member of the Baja Bombers but he swings a mean bat tonight, adding a triple later on. The Bombers end up beating the Semi-Athletics, 5-2.
“The triple was much harder,” Lundin said. “I think I’ve been on this team 10-14 years, something like that. My best season was two or three years ago when my daughter played third base and I played first.”
His daughter Chiara Lundin was the catcher on a league championship Piedmont High School softball team in 2022 and just finished her senior season at Wellesley College. The Baja Bombers have a tradition of second generation players. You must be at least 18 years old to play in the league.
“We call them the Baby Bombers,” Heather Gonzalez said, adding there are five currently on the roster. “It is a true pleasure to play with our kids,” she said.
“Playing with our adult children added this whole new dimension to this,” Bryan Cantrill said. “One of my favorite moments was when (former Piedmont mayor) Jen (Cavanaugh) was on base and her son Jackson was up and hit a grand slam with mom on base in the playoffs. It was a lot of fun.”
2026 Baby Bombers: Tobin and Alexander Cantrill, Hailey and Samantha Ronen, and Dahlia Gonzalez
Former Piedmont High lacrosse player Alexander Cantrill, 19, said, “It’s a lot of fun playing with all the adults. I’ve been watching the games for a while. It’s fun to be able to play now.”
In the nightcap, Beach Bums beat the Underdogs, 14-10, coming back from a 9-0 deficit. The Beach Bums have been playing together for 10 years, according to pitcher George White, who added that the team has won three championships.
“I’m a charter member,” White said. “We are having a blast this year. The best year yet.” He said all the teams know each other.
“For three seasons, we really crushed it,” White said. “Then there were some bad seasons but now we’re back. Beach Bums are back this year, watch out. There were some hamstring injuries.”
Adrienne Shih of the Underdogs loves the family aspect. “I get to play with my husband, I get to play with my sister and some really good friends of ours that we’ve known from preschool,” she said. “And new friends that we’ve also met. Our kids get to run around and make new friends and play together, too. It’s a great night. Good for the community, I think.”
Piedmont Recreation Coordinator JoNae Gonzales said the league has been expanding in her three years in the Department. “When I started, there were four or five teams,” she said. “Now there are seven.”
The co-ed league requires at least three women on the field on defense at all times. Teams must alternate genders on offense. The rosters must include at least six Piedmont residents.
The league runs from June 13 – August 13, when the playoffs will conclude. Teams play two or three games per week and most games are at Coaches Field. It’s the only adult team sport currently offered by the Recreation Department, but Gonzales said they are looking into a possible basketball league.
The playoffs are coming up and Baja Bombers are the defending champions. Bryan Cantrill said their hated rivals are the Saints and Sinners, who the Bombers beat for the championship a year ago.
“The rivalry with the Saints and Sinners is a unifying force in my family,” Cantrill said. “It is a literal bonding force. My daughter, who is 14 and will ultimately play with the Bombers when she is an adult, she has grown up with this rivalry.” He added, “What’s interesting is that we call them the Sinners and they call themselves the Saints. It gets a little chippy out there!”