No. 16 SMCC Goes 2-2 at Great Western Shootout

PHOENIX --- 

The No. 16 South Mountain Community College softball team (7-3) went 2-2 at the Great Western Shootout Feb. 4-5 in Yuma, Ariz. The Cougars opened the tournament with a 9-7 victory over Utah State-Eastern and a 13-0 win against Colorado Northwestern on Feb. 4 but fell 10-1 to Southern Nevada and 10-2 to Snow College on Feb. 5.

Utah State-Eastern Recap

The Cougars scored four runs in the seventh inning to post a 9-7 comeback victory against Utah State-Eastern. The Golden Eagles led 4-1 after four innings and 6-5 after six. The Cougars had 11 hits in the win and recorded three doubles and a home run.

Freshman Kate Hogan finished 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBIs, a double and her fourth home run of the season. Freshman Mariah Martinez and sophomores Taylor Mount and Tara Lorona also had two hits in the win. Martinex was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a double. Mount scored a pair of runs, and Lorona added an RBI.

Annalise Chavez had the team's fourth double and added a run scored and an RBI. Jaudrey Ah Quin also had an RBI and a run scored, and Kayliana Sablan picked up an RBI and scored a run.

Rylie Atherton earned the win in the circle to improve to 2-1 on the season. She tossed six innings with nine strikeouts and five earned runs. Martinez recorded her second save of the season with an inning of relief with one earned run.

Colorado Northwestern CC Recap

The Cougars pounded 16 hits, including three doubles and a home run, to post a 13-0, five-inning win.

Batting leadoff, Sablan had a team-high three hits and scored a run. Mount, Martinez and Lauren Russell had two hits, with Russell going 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBIs, a walk and a home run. Mount was 2-for-4 with two runs, an RBI and a double, while Martinez was 2-for-3 with two runs, an RBI and a double.

Lorona had the team's fourth double and went 1-for-1 with two RBIs and a run scored. Hogan scored a run and had an RBI, Chavez recorded an RBi, and Carolina Olivas scored a run. Jazzlyn Joaquin had two RBIs and Lucero Vasquez Sanchez scored a run.

Martinez (3-0) earned the win with five innings of shutout softball. She scattered five hits and three walks to go with one strikeout.

Southern Nevada Recap

SMCC fell behind 5-1 after three innings, and the Coyotes tacked on five runs over the fifth and sixth to post a 10-1 victory.

Sablan, Mount, Martinez, Lorona and Olivas had base hits for SMCC. Mount had a double and a stolen base, Lorona had a triple and scored a run, and Olivas recorded an RBI and a stolen base. Hogan had the team's third stolen base.

Atherton (2-2) took the loss in the circle. She allowed three runs and six hits in 2.1 innings to go with three strikeouts. Christian Smith tossed the final 3.2 innings, allowing three earned runs with two strikeouts.

Snow College Recap

Tied 1-1 after two innings, Snow College scored nine runs over the subsequent four frames to post a 10-2 victory.

Ah Quin had two of the Cougars' three hits, including a double, and Lorona had the third. Joaquin and Russell scored a run, and Martinez had an RBI.

Martinez (3-1) took the loss in the circle. She struck out three and allowed eight hits, but only two of the eight runs scored were earned runs. Smith tossed the final two innings and had three K's.