Cougar Baseball Splits with PVCC and Cochise, Sweeps Western Nebraska

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College baseball team (15-16, 7-9 ACCAC) went 4-2 over spring break. The Cougars split an ACCAC two-game series with Paradise Valley CC, winning 6-1 on Mar. 8 before falling 2-0 on Mar. 9. In their midweek series, the Cougars swept two games with Western Nebraska CC by winning 5-3 on Mar. 12 and 19-7 (7 innings) on Mar. 13. Finally, the Cougars returned to ACCAC action and split a doubleheader at Cochise College on Mar. 16, falling 8-6 (7 innings) in game one before rallying for a 5-3 (11 innings) victory in game two. 

PVCC Series Recap

The Cougars split its two-game series with the Pumas and opened the series with a 6-1 victory on Mar. 8. SMCC scored four runs in the second and two in the seventh to secure the win. 

Sophomore Niko Rosell started the second with a double and then scored on an error after freshman Jaden Upper singled on a bunt. Upper then scored on an RBI groundout from freshman Brady Lord. Sophomore Wylie Waters continued the rally with a one-out double, and he scored on an RBI double from freshman Marcus Romero. Freshman Joe Terranova then drove in Romero with an RBI single and gave SMCC a 4-0 advantage. 

Upper delivered a two-out, two-run single in the seventh that scored Romero and Terranova. 

Upper was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Terranova was 2 for 5 with a run and an RBI. Waters was 2 for 3 with a run scored, and Romero was 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI.  

Sophomore Matthew Lighthall (1-1) earned the win after throwing 5.0 innings of one-hit shutout baseball. He fanned six and walked four. Christopher Mata tossed three innings of relief and had three strikeouts, and sophomore Kaden Gray threw the ninth inning. 

The next day was a frustrating affair for the SMCC offense. The Cougars managed three hits over nine innings, with Upper recording two. Sophomore Dominic Chacon had the team's third hit and added a stolen base. 

Sophomore Brandon Koble started the game and went 2.0 innings with three strikeouts and two hits. Freshman David Galindo (1-3) tossed 4.2 innings of relief work and took the loss. He fanned eight but allowed four hits and two earned runs. Sophomore Alex Urias-Calvillo went the final 1.1 innings and had two strikeouts. 

Western Nebraska CC Series Recap

The Cougars hosted the Cougars for a two-game, non-conference series and won 5-3 on Mar. 12 and 19-7 (7 innings) on Mar. 13. 

In the Mar. 12 game, the teams traded runs over the first few innings and were tied at 2-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth. Upper singled with one out and scored on an RBI triple from Lord. Freshman Raul Parada then plated Lord with a triple to give SMCC a 4-2 lead. 

SMCC added an insurance run in the seventh as Terranova scored on a wild pitch. 

Upper was 3 for 4 with three runs scored and a double, while Terranova was 2 for 4 with a run and the triple. Lord was 2 for 3 with two RBIs, a triple, and a run scored, and Parada was 2 for 3 with two RBIs, a triple, and a sac fly. 

Freshman Max Mazinter (1-4) earned his first win of the season with 5.0 innings of relief. He fanned four and worked around four hits, one walk, and one earned run. Urias-Calvillo recorded his third save of the season with 2.0 innings of relief and one strikeout. Freshman Stephen Hernandez started the game for SMCC and went 2.0 innings with three strikeouts and three walks. 

The Cougars exploded offensively for 19 runs and 17 hits in the second game of the series. Four Cougars recorded multi-hit performances, led by three-hit games from sophomore Karsen Waslefsky and freshman Zac Chapman. 

SMCC scored at least one run in its six offensive frames and scored multiple runs in four frames.

Freshman Luke Jones led off the second with the first home run of his SMCC career, and the Cougars went on to score six in the inning behind RBIs from Chacon, Waslefsky, Chapman, and Romero. Jones added a second RBI later in the frame, thanks to a sac fly. 

Waslefsksy finished 3 for 3 with two runs and an RBI, while Chapman was 3 for 4 with three runs, four RBIs, and a double. 

Terranova and Chacon had two hits apiece. Terranova was 2 for 2 with three runs, a double, and a triple, while Chacon was 2 for 2 with three runs, two RBIs, a stolen base, and two walks. 

Sophomore Jaden Miranda added a triple and a run scored, while Lord hit a double and posted an RBI. Upper recorded the team's fourth double and added a run. Romero drove in three runs, and freshman Landon Springmeyer scored twice and drove in one. 

Gray (1-1) recorded his first win of the season, a scoreless inning of relief. Sophomore Nikolas Miller started the game and went 3.0 innings with six strikeouts. Sophomore Fabian Ibarra, sophomore Stryder Salas, and freshman Matt Elliot pitched an inning of relief. 

Cochise College Series Recap

The Cougars fell 8-6 in game one of the doubleheader as the Apaches rallied from a 6-1 deficit. 

Trailing 1-0 at the start of the fifth, SMCC scored six runs to take a commanding lead. Waters started the frame with a single, Upper dropped down a bunt single, and Romero added another bunt single to score Waters. Parada then drove home Upper with an RBI single, Romero scored on a double steal, and Waslefsky cleared the bases with a three-run triple. 

However, Cochise scored five in their half of the fifth to tie the game and posted two more in the sixth to record the win. 

Urias-Calvillo (2-2) took the loss after 2.0 innings of relief. He allowed six hits and four earned runs, along with two strikeouts. Hernandez started the game and went 4.0 innings with three hits, four earned runs, and six strikeouts. 

In the second game, SMCC mounted a rally of its own to post a 5-3, 11-inning victory. The Cougars trailed 3-1 heading into the seventh but scored twice late to force extra innings. 

In the seventh, Chapman led off the inning with a double and scored on an RBI single from Parada. In the eighth, freshman Christopher Mata hit a lead-off single and scored on a two-out single from Waslefsky. 

Waslefsky drew a walk to start the 11th and trotted home on a two-run home run from Waters, his second home run of the season. He finished 2 for 5 with three RBIs. 

Terranova had the team's second double, and Chacon scored the team's fifth run. 

Galindo (2-3) recorded his second win of the year with 5.0 innings of scoreless and hitless relief work. He fanned eight of the 15 batters he faced. 

Miller started the game for SMCC and pitched 4.2 innings, giving up seven hits, one earned run, and three strikeouts. Freshman Luis Martin Romero tossed 1.1 innings of hitless relief as well.