No. 11 SMCC Softball Wins Twice against Gateway CC

PHOENIX --- 

The No. 11 South Mountain Community College softball team (25-9, 25-7 ACCAC) defeated Gateway Community College 15-0 (5) and 9-1 (5) in an Arizona Community College Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday, May 1. In the first game, the Cougars scored 13 runs over the first three innings, and Jackie Traughber tossed a two-hit shutout and had five RBIs, a double and a triple at the plate. In the second game, Jaudrey Ah Quin hit a home run and drove in a season-high five RBIs, and Christian Smith had five strikeouts over five innings of work as the Cougars swept the doubleheader against the Geckos.

Game One

Traughber led the Cougars with an outstanding day at the plate and in the circle. She improved to 15-5 on the season with three strikeouts and two walks over five innings of work. She finished 3-for-4 with two runs at the plate, five RBIs, a double, a triple and a stolen base.

Offensively, the Cougars scored multiple runs in all four innings and finished with 16 hits.

Alexa Key and Natalie Torres also had three hits apiece in the win. Key went 3-for-3 and tied her season highs with four runs scored and three stolen bases. She added a double and an RBI and has a league-high 37 stolen bases on the season. Torres was 3-for-3 and scored a season-high three runs to go with a double.

Tara Lorona and Jianna Martinez each had two hits in the win, with Lorona recording a double and driving in four runs to tie a season-high. Mia Stankiewicz had a pair of sacrifice flies and stole a base, and Ah Quin and Smith added stolen bases.

Game Two

The Cougars' prolific offense continued to roll in game two, totaling nine hits and six stolen bases in the five-inning win.

Key led SMCC with two hits and added two stolen bases and a run. Ah Quin hit her eighth home run of the season and finished 1-for-2 with a season-high five RBIs. Stankiewicz scored a pair of runs and stole a base, while Torres, Lorona and Traughber all scored once.

Smith (10-4) won her 10th game of the season with five innings of work in the circle, where she allowed five hits and one walk to go with five strikeouts. At the plate, she scored two runs, stole two bases, drew two walks and had an RBI.

The Cougars have moved up to 11 in the latest NJCAA Division II rankings and own the third-highest batting average in the division. 

No. 11 SMCC closes out the regular season with a home ACCAC doubleheader against Phoenix College on Saturday, May 8. The first game starts at noon. 

The Cougars have wrapped up the second seed in the NJCAA Region I Division II Championships, hosted by Phoenix College. That event runs from May 13-16.