No. 16 SMCC Baseball Falls Twice to Pima CC

PHOENIX ---

The No. 16 South Mountain Community College baseball team (16-6, 4-4 ACCAC) lost 10-3 (7 innings) and 3-0 to Pima CC in an ACCAC home doubleheader on Feb. 28. Three errors helped fuel a seven-run fifth inning for Pima CC in the first game, and the Cougars could muster just three hits in the second contest as the visiting Aztecs swept the twinbill. 

Game One Recap

Leading 3-1 in the top of the fifth, the Aztecs scored seven runs in the frame to chase SMCC starter Raul Garayzar en route to the 10-3 victory. 

Garayzar took the loss, his first of the year, with 4.2 innings of work. He finished with four strikeouts, three walks and five earned runs to fall to 2-1 on the year. 

Freshman Austin Balmes tossed the final 2.1 innings for the Cougars and allowed two unearned runs with two strikeouts. 

Offensively, sophomore Connor Schneider led SMCC with a pair of base hits and scored a run. Freshman Jaden Miranda and sophomore Core Jackson also scored runs, and sophomore Jayden Smith, freshman Dominic Chacon, and sophomore Jared Glinski had RBis. 

Game Two Recap 

The Aztec pitching continued to stymie the Cougar offense and held them to three hits in a 3-0 shutout. All three Pima CC runs came in the third inning. 

Miranda led SMCC with two singles, and sophomore Kenneth Jimenez added a single. 

Sophomore Jacob Beltran started and went 6.0 innings with three earned runs to fall to 3-1 on the season. He fanned three and walked one. Sophomore Matthew Martinez tossed the final 3.0 innings and finished with two hits and two strikeouts.