SMCC Baseball Wins Region I Division I Championship

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College baseball team (36-25) won the NJCAA Region I Division I Championship by defeating Pima CC twice in a best-of-three game series May 9-11 in Tucson, Ariz. SMCC posted a 3-1 victory in game one of the series on May 9 as sophomores Nikolas Miller, Kaden Gray, and Alex Urias-Calvillo combined to limit the Aztecs to four hits and one run. In game two on May 10, Pima CC recorded an 8-2 victory as sophomore Dominic Chacon blasted a two-run home run in defeat. In the finale on May 11, SMCC overcame an early 1-0 deficit with runs in the third-sixth and put the game away with a five-run ninth en route to an 11-1 victory. 

Game Three Recap (May 11) 

The Cougars trailed 1-0 after two innings, but runs in the third, fourth, and fifth put them ahead 3-1. SMCC added three runs in the sixth and five in the ninth to pull away from the Aztecs and claim the Region Championship. 

In the third, freshman Christopher Mata walked to start the inning and moved to second after a pitch hit freshman Joe Terranova. A line out to right moved the runners into scoring position, and Mata tied the game when he scored on a passed ball. 

Freshman Marcus Romero reached on an error in the fourth and moved to third on a double from sophomore Carlos Vega. Sophomore Jaden Miranda brought Romero home with a sacrifice fly as SMCC took the lead and never looked back. 

With two outs in the fifth, a pitch hit Chacon. He then stole second and came around to score on an RBI single from sophomore Karsen Waslefsky, giving SMCC a 3-1 advantage. 

In the sixth, sophomore Jaden Miranda singled with one out, and Terranova drew a two-out walk. Sophomore Wylie Waters, the Tournament MVP, brought them both home with a two-run double, and he later scored on an Aztec error. 

The ninth started with Waters drawing a free pass and moving to third on a double from Waslefsky. A sac fly from freshman Landon Springmeyer made it 7-1, and Romero laced a single that scored Waslefsky. Vega singled, and Miranda walked to load the bases. Mata hit a two-run single, and Terranova added an RBI single to conclude the scoring. 

All that offense was enough for the combination of sophomore Fabian Ibarra and freshman David Galindo. Ibarra started the game with four innings, one hit, one run, four walks, and five strikeouts. Galindo (5-4) earned the win with five innings of relief work that featured five strikeouts and three hits. 

Waslefsky and Vega each had two hits to lead SMCC, and eight of the nine batters in the Cougars' lineup scored a run. Romero, Waters, and Miranda scored twice, and Mata and Waters each had two RBIs. 

Game Two Recap (May 10) 

Pima CC scored six runs over the first two innings and held SMCC to six hits over nine frames to post the 8-2 victory. 

Chacon blasted a two-run home run, his 14th of the season, in the sixth to cut the lead to 6-2. However, the Aztecs got one run back in their half of the inning and tacked on an insurance run in the seventh. 

Chacon finished 1 for 4 with two RBIs, while Waters singled and scored. Vega had a double, and Miranda, Romero, and Mata added singles. 

Sophomore Matthew Lighthall (2-2) took the loss with three hits and four runs in 0.2 innings of work. Sophomore Brandon Koble tossed five innings of relief, and freshmen Matt Elliot, Ian Armbrutster, and Max Mazinter also saw time out of the bullpen. 

Game One Recap (May 9) 

Pitching was the story in game one of the series, as the teams were scoreless into the eighth. That's when SMCC finally broke through with two runs. Pima CC would get one in the bottom of the eighth, but the Cougars scored in the ninth and held on for the 3-1 victory. 

Vega drew a walk in the eighth to start the inning and moved to second on a Miranda sac bunt. Mata broke the deadlock with an RBI single. After a fielder's choice put Terranova at first with two outs, Waters and Chacon put together consecutive singles, with Terranova scoring on Chacon's base hit. 

In the ninth, Springmeyer doubled to start the frame and tagged up to third on a line out to right. He then scored on an Aztec error to give SMCC some insurance for the ninth. 

Miller went six innings with two hits, four walks, and two strikeouts. Gray (2-2) had a strikeout and earned the win with 1.1 innings of relief work, and Urias-Calvillo recorded his seventh save of the season by tossing the final 1.2 innings.