No. 3 SMCC Softball Wins Region I Division II Championship --- Headed to NJCAA DII World Series on May 23-27

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College softball team (52-8) won all three of its games at the Region I Division II Tournament to claim the Region Championship and advance to the NJCAA Division II World Series May 23-27 at Tyger River Park in Spartanburg, SC. The Cougars posted a 13-10 victory over Chandler-Gilbert CC on May 11, a 10-7 comeback win over Phoenix College on May 12, and a 4-3 victory over Phoenix College again to punch their ticket to the World Series.  

Chandler-Gilbert CC Recap (May 11) 

The Cougars and Coyotes engaged in an offensive showdown, with SMCC ultimately prevailing 13-10. The Cougars led 8-1 after two innings, but CGCC fought back with multiple runs in the third, fourth and fifth to climb to within 10-9 after four and a half frames. SMCC responded with two runs in its half of the second and an insurance run in the sixth to post the 13-10 victory. 

SMCC hit three home runs in the win, with Iliana Munoz, Halle Hogan and Annalise Chavez all going deep. Munoz finished 1-for-3 with two runs, an RBI and two walks, while Chavez was 3-for-4 with a run, a double and three RBIs. Hogan smashed a grand slam and went 2-for-5 with a run and five RBIs. 

Anisa Reynolds had three hits in the win and added a run and an RBI, and Mia Franco was 2-for-3 with two runs. Vanessa Philpot went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs and a key triple, and Brianna Garcia scored twice. 

In the circle, Mykenzie Flores posted the win with 3.1 innings of relief work. She fanned four and allowed four hits, two earned runs and one walk to improve to 9-2 on the season. Angelica Tello started the game for SMCC and went 3.2 innings with three strikeouts, 10 hits and four earned runs. 

Phoenix College Recap (May 12)

In the winner's bracket game, the Cougars posted a thrilling comeback victory after the Bears scored four times and hit three home runs in the first inning. SMCC responded with a run in the first and four in the second to tie the contest at 5-5. PC scratched across two runs in the fourth, and SMCC posted a run in the fifth to set up a dramatic sixth inning. 

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth and SMCC trailing 7-6, Chavez appeared to ground out to second to end the inning. However, a defensive substitution was not reported, and Chavez was allowed to resume her at-bat and eventually walked. Munoz drew another walk, and Makaiya Gomez tied the game with an RBI single. 

The next batter, Garcia, deposited a double into right-center to clear the bases and give SMCC a 9-7 advantage. Hogan slashed a single up the middle to score Garcia and put SMCC ahead 10-7. The Bears went down in order in the seventh to seal the SMCC comeback victory. 

Gomez went a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, two doubles, a home run and two RBIs. Hogan was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Munoz scored two runs after walking twice. Philpot added a single, and a run scored in the win. 

Reynolds improved to 19-3 in the circle with a complete-game performance. She worked around 14 hits and seven earned runs and posted two strikeouts. 

Phoenix College Recap (May 13) 

The Championship game was tight, with SMCC pulling ahead early and fending off a Bears' comeback. SMCC scored a run in the first off an error, and Chavez blasted a two-run home run in the second to give SMCC a 3-1 lead. Phoenix College posted two runs third to tie the game before Munoz delivered the game-winning RBI double to score Sarah Potter from second. 

Gomez walked twice, stole a base and scored the run in the first, and Potter was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and a double. Garcia added a single, and Chavez blasted her seventh home run and recorded RBIs 23 and 24 for the season. 

Reynolds posted her second win of the weekend with another complete-game performance. She allowed three hits, and one earned run and four walks to go with five strikeouts to improve to 20-3 on the season. 

What's Next?

The Cougars will find out their seed and the NJCAA Division II World Series Bracket at 7 a.m. (Arizona Time) on Friday, May 19 on the NJCAA Network. The Tournament runs from May 23-27 at Tyger River Park in Spartanburg, SC. 

Click Here to access the NJCAA Network.  

Click here for a list of all the qualifiers for the NJCAA Division II World Series. 

Click here for more information on Tyger River Park in Spartanburg, SC

Here's the final out of the 4-3 victory pic.twitter.com/hkRU81jz5v

— SMCC Athletics (@SMCCCougars) May 13, 2023