No. 15 SMCC Softball Continues Torrid Stretch with Glendale CC Sweep

PHOENIX ---

The No. 15 South Mountain Community College softball team (17-7, 17-5 ACCAC) extended its winning streak to nine-straight games with 9-1 (5) and 13-4 (6) victories over Glendale Community College on April 13. Jackie Traughber had seven strikeouts in the first game and allowed two hits and one unearned run, while Taylor Mount finished 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs. In the second game, Tori Van Arsdale hit a walk-off grand slam in the sixth inning to give the Cougars the doubleheader sweep against the Gauchos. 

Game One

SMCC scored nine runs from the second to the fourth inning and stole seven bases in the victory. 

Traughber (10-3) was fantastic in the circle, limiting the Gauchos' powerful line-up to two hits and three walks in a five-inning victory. She had seven strikeouts, and the run that scored was unearned because of defensive errors. 

Offensively, Mount and Van Arsdale led the Cougars with two hits. Mount had a season-high three RBIs, and the double was her fifth of the season. Van Arsdale led the Cougars with three stolen bases and added two runs, an RBI and a walk. 

Mia Stankiewicz and Alexa Key had the other two-base hits for South Mountain CC. Both recorded a stolen base, and Stankiewicz scored two runs and had an RBI. 

Tara Lorona had a pair of RBIs, while Traughber and Destiny Apodaca had the Cougars' sixth and seventh stolen bases of the game. 

Game Two

The Cougars overcame a 4-2 deficit to defeat the Gauchos and post their ninth-straight win. 

Traughber finished with a team-high three hits at the plate, including her fourth triple of the season. She also tied a season-high with three RBIs and three runs scored. In the circle, she improved to 11-3 with 2.2 innings of one-hit relief work. She added two strikeouts and did not walk a batter.

Van Arsdale had another strong performance at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with three runs, five RBIs, two walks, a stolen base and the grand slam. 

Key, Lorona and Apodca all had two hits in the win. Key scored a pair of runs and had two stolen bases, while Lorona added an RBI. Apodaca was 2-for-2 with two RBIs, two walks and her conference-leading 23rd stolen base of the season. 

Stankiewicz walked twice and was 1-for-1 with three runs, a double, an RBI and two stolen bases. 

Christian Smith started the game for SMCC in the circle. She threw 3.1 innings with four earned runs and six strikeouts.

The Cougars, who entered the NJCAA Division II rankings at No. 15 on April 12, travel to No. 1 Phoenix College for an Arizona Community College Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday, April 17. The first game starts at noon. 

Photo by Andy Silvas