SMCC Baseball Opens Home Slate with Sweep of Gateway CC

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College baseball team (21-8, 15-7 ACCAC) opened its 2021 home schedule with a 5-4 and 6-4 victory over Gateway Community College on Apr. 3. In the first game, McKay Barney hit the game-winning RBI single to score Justin Quinn and give the Cougars a walk-off 5-4 win in eight innings. In the second game, Brice Martinez had a season-high four hits, Holden Breeze hit his team-leading fourth home run of the year, and Nolan Livsey earned the win with two scoreless innings on the mound. 

Game One

The Cougars scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to push past the Geckos and claim their home opener. 

In the bottom of the eighth, Quinn hit a two-out, RBI double that scored Esteban Hernandez. Gateway intentionally walked Breeze, and that set up Barney's game-winning hit. 

Barney finished 2-for-4, scored a run and stole a base in the victory. Brodie Marino added a solo home run, his second of the season, and a sacrifice bunt, while Andrew Lucas had an RBI single.

Ronan Kopp started the game for SMCC, and he threw 5.1 innings with four hits, two earned runs and seven strikeouts. Shawn Triplett (3-0) earned the win in relief, tossing 2.2 innings with three strikeouts. 

SMCC opened with a pair of runs in the first inning to take a 2-1 lead. After the Geckos tied the game in the fourth inning, Marino broke the tie with a solo shot in the fifth. However, the Geckos tied the game in the sixth and forced extra innings. 

Game Two

SMCC scored six runs over the first four innings and held off a Gateway rally to sweep the doubleheader. 

Martinez was a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs scored and a double, and he is now batting .349 with 12 stolen bases and 24 runs scored for the season. 

Quinn was the second Cougar to record a multi-hit effort, finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored. Barney added a double, his third of the year, drew a walk and scored a run. Dustin Bermudez and Hernandez were each 1-for-3 with an RBI.  

Livsey (3-1) tossed two innings of hitless relief on the mound with three strikeouts to earn the win. Derek Decolati started the game and allowed three runs with two strikeouts in three innings of work. Alec Stanfield began the sixth, and Trent Adams tossed an inning in total with two strikeouts. Finally, Ryan Figueroa got the final out of the game to record his second save of the season. 

The Cougars continue their homestand with an ACCAC doubleheader against Arizona Western on Apr. 6. The first game starts at noon.