SMCC Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader from Eastern Arizona on Sophomore Day

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College baseball team (37-11, 21-9 ACCAC) defeated Eastern Arizona 3-0 (7 innings) and 2-0 in an ACCAC home doubleheader on April 15 at the Cougar Baseball Field. Sophomore pitchers Jaxon Jelkin, Jacob Beltran, Raul Garayzar and Matthew Martinez combined to shut out the Gila Monsters for 16 innings as the Cougars celebrated their sophomores at their final home games of the 2023 season. 

Game One Recap

SMCC scored three runs in the third inning to back up an outstanding performance from Jelkin. The sophomore right-handed pitcher from Omaha improved to 7-2 on the season with a complete-game shutout. He fanned six and worked around four hits and three walks over his seven innings. 

Offensively, freshman Dominic Chacon led SMCC with two hits, including a double, and freshman Sam Christiansen hit a triple and added a run, an RBI and a walk. Sophomore Core Jackson had a single, a run and an RBI, and sophomore Michael Diaz scored a run.

Freshman Karsen Waslefsky and sophomore Kenneth Jimenez added base hits in the win. 

Game Two Recap

SMCC and Eastern Arizona battled to a scoreless tie until the bottom of the seventh in game two when the Cougars pushed across a run to take a 1-0 lead. The Cougars added an insurance run in the eighth to seal the victory. 

Freshman Jaden Miranda and sophomore Connor Schneider had RBIs for SMCC, with Miranda adding a double. Christiansen, Chacon, sophomore Brian Leon and Miranda all had two hits in the win. Chacon and Christiansen scored a run, and Leon roped a double in the left-field corner. 

Beltran fanned 10 Gila Monsters over seven innings on the mound to improve to 7-2 on the season. He scattered six hits and walked none. Garayzar tossed the eight and struck out two, and Martinez recorded his fourth save of the year with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth.