SMCC Baseball Sweeps Four-Game Series with Salt Lake CC

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College baseball team swept a four-game series with Salt Lake CC on Jan. 27-28 in St. George, Utah. The Cougars won the first doubleheader 5-0 and 11-0 and then posted 6-5 and 5-3 dramatic victories over the Bruins in the second doubleheader. 

Jan. 27 Doubleheader Recap

The Cougars won 5-0 and 11-0 as the team did not allow a run in 12 innings of action. 

In the first game, sophomore Jaxon Jelkin started the game and went 5.1 innings with six strikeouts. He worked around three hits and four walks to earn his first win of the season. Sophomore Matthew Martinez tossed the final 1.2 innings and had a strikeout and a walk. 

The Cougars scored four runs in the fourth off the bat of sophomore Kyle Alexander. The left fielder launched a grand slam and finished 2-for-3 with a run and four RBIs. 

Sophomore Kenneth Jimenez added a sacrifice fly in the seventh to bring home sophomore Jayden Smith. Five other Cougars had base hits in the 5-0 victory. 

In the second game, SMCC scored three runs in the first and eight in the third to post the 11-0 victory. Nikolas Miller started the game for the Cougars and tossed a two-hit, seven-inning shutout. He fanned eight and walked one to earn his first career victory.  

Sophomore Jared Glinski led SMCC with three hits, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs, an RBI and a double. Sophomores Connor Schneider and Smith each posted two hits, with Schneider recording two RBIs and a run and Smith posting a double, two runs scored and an RBI.  

Sophomores Core Jackson and Carter Richey each had a pair of runs, a double and an RBI. Freshman Sam Christiansen and Alexander added doubles in the win. 

Jan. 28 Doubleheader Recap

Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh, SMCC scored four runs to win the first game 6-5. In the second game, SMCC scored four runs in the first, one in the third and then held off a SLCC rally to win 5-3 and sweep the series. 

Richey hit his first home run of the season and finished 1-for-2 with three RBIs and a walk. Freshman Karsen Waslefsky was 2-for-2 with a run and two doubles, and Smith had the team's third double and finished 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI. 

Jackson went 2-for-3 with two runs, Jimenez had an RBI and Michael Diaz had a hit and a run scored. Raul Garayzar and Alex Urias-Calvillo pitched for the Cougars in the win. 

Raul Garayzar started the game for SMCC on the mound. He went 4.0 innings with six strikeouts, six hits, two walks, and five earned runs. Alex Urias-Calvillo earned his first win of the season with 3.0 innings of relief work, fanning one and working around a walk and a hit. 

In the second game, Waslefsky finished 2-for-3 with a double, a run, and two RBIs, and Christiansen went 2-for-4 with a run. Richey and Jimenez scored a run and Jaden Miranda had a base hit and an RBI. 

On the mound, Jacob Beltran picked up the win with five innings of work. He had four strikeout and scattered three hits and a walk. Brandon Koble tossed an inning of relief, Fabian Ibarra got an important strikeout and Martinez recorded the final two outs to earn his first save of the year.