SMCC Baseball Splits Pair at Glendale CC

The South Mountain Community College baseball team (17-8, 11-7 ACCAC) split an Arizona Community College Athletic Conference doubleheader at Glendale Community College on Mar. 27. In the first game, the Cougars could not overcome an early deficit and fell to the Gauchos 3-1. In the second game, SMCC hit 13 singles and scored four runs in the first four innings to defeat GCC 5-2 and earn a split on the day. 

Game One

The Gauchos scored three runs in the second inning off SMCC starter Ronan Kopp (0-1) and held off a Cougar rally to claim the first game of the day. 

Kopp tossed 5.0 innings and had seven strikeouts to go with three walks and four hits. Alec Stanfield threw the sixth and recorded a strikeout. 

At the plate, Brodie Marino and Holden Breeze had doubles for the Cougars. Justin Quinn had a single, a stolen base and scored the team's lone run on a sacrifice fly from Michael Quinones. 

Game Two

Esteban Hernandez and Quinn had three hits, and Clayton Kempski and Breeze added two more as the Cougars scored early and the bullpen delivered 4.1 innings of hitless relief in the 5-2 victory. 

Trent Adams recorded the final out of the fifth inning, and he, Ryan Figueroa and Shawn Triplett held the Gauchos without a hit for the last four innings. Adams improved to 5-0 on the season with 2.1 innings of work and five strikeouts. Figueroa threw an inning with one strikeout, and Triplett recorded his conference-leading seventh save of the season by striking out the side in the sixth. 

Dustin Bermudez, Mason Skaugrud, Quinones, Hernandez and Quinn scored runs for SMCC. Brice Martinez, Kempski and Skaugrud had sacrifice bunts, and Bermudez and Hernandez recorded sacrifice flies. 

Derek Decolati started the game for SMCC, striking out three with five hits and two runs in 4.2 innings of work. 

The Cougars return to action with an ACCAC doubleheader at Scottsdale Community College on Mar. 30. The first game starts at noon.