SMCC Softball Defeats Southern Idaho to Open 2023 Season

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College softball team opened its 2023 season at the Great Western Shootout hosted by Arizona Western College on Feb. 2 in Yuma, Ariz., with a tripleheader. After falling 9-4 to Southern Nevada and 7-6 to Utah State-Eastern, the Cougars posted an 8-6 (8 innings) victory over Southern Idaho to get their 2023 campaign fully underway. 

Southern Idaho Recap

SMCC overcame a 2-0 deficit with eight runs over the final three innings to post its first win of the season. Freshmen Brianna Garcia and Iliana Munoz led SMCC with three hits apiece as Munoz homered twice and Garcia also went deep. 

Garcia finished 3-for-5 with two runs, three RBIs and a stolen base to go with the home run, while Munoz was 3-for-4 with two runs, three RBIs and two deep flies. 

Sophomore Makaiya Gomez had the fourth SMCC home run in the victory and was 1-for-3 with three runs, an RBI and two walks. Freshman Vanessa Philpot, sophomore Rebecca Miller, and freshman Mia Franco all added base hits, with Miller scoring a run. 

In the circle, freshman Angelica Tello recorded her first career win with a complete-game effort. She fanned eight, walked one and scattered four hits over eight innings, with only two of the five runs being unearned. 

Utah State-Eastern Recap

Leading 5-3 after four innings, SMCC could not fend off a USUE rally as the Golden Eagles scored a run in the fifth and three in the sixth to take a 7-5 lead. The Cougars would add a run in the sixth but could not plate the tying run and lost 7-6. 

Garcia led SMCC with three hits, finishing 3-for-4 with four RBIs, a double, a stolen base and a home run. Gomez went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs, two doubles and a stolen base, and freshman Jessica Gordon was 2-for-3 with two runs and a double. 

Munoz and sophomore Anisa Reynolds added base hits, and Franco scored a run. 

In the circle, freshman Mykenzie Flores started the game and went 5.1 innings with three strikes outs, two walks and three earned runs. Freshman Adenira Marquez tossed an inning of relief with a strikeout and an unearned run, and Reynolds got the final two outs of the seventh. 

Southern Nevada Recap

SMCC trailed 4-0 after the first inning but rallied to tie the game with one run in the second and third and two more in the fourth. However, the Coyotes broke the deadlock with a run in the fifth and four in the sixth to post the 9-4 victory. 

Six Cougars finished with a hit in the loss. Philpot and Franco hit their first home runs of the season, while Reynolds registered a double. Franco finished with a pair of RBIs, and Garcia also drove in a run. 

Reynolds took the loss in the circle for SMCC, tossing a complete game. She allowed nine runs over six innings with five strikeouts and four walks.