Aztecs Baseball gets swept at No. 6 ranked South Mountain CC
The Pima Community College baseball team (16-11, 9-7 in ACCAC) was on the road for an ACCAC conference doubleheader on Saturday at South Mountain Community College (19-9, 12-4).
The No. 21 ranked Aztecs got swept by the Cougars. Freshman Westin Thompson finished the day going 3-for-7 with four RBIs and two runs scored while fellow freshman Ezra Vidal (Sahuarita HS) went 4-for-9 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Freshman Jackson Glueck was 4-for-6 with two runs and sophomore Leon Cereceres finished the day 3-for-8 with two RBIs and three runs.
Sophomores Brady Hall and Kai Fitak took the losses on the mound. The Aztecs struggled as they committed 10 errors on the day.
Game 1: (6) South Mountain CC Cougars 9, (21) Pima CC Aztecs 8: The Aztecs rallied back and took the lead in the 7th inning but the Cougars won it on a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the inning.
Vidal hit an RBI single to drive in Thompson as the Aztecs took an 8-7 lead in the 7th inning.
Hall got the first two outs in the bottom of the 7th but gave up a walk and then an RBI single to Liu Rodriguez Jr. to tie it. South Mountain loaded the bases after an error and a walk. Bobby Pierce Jr.hit a walk-off single to right field to end it.
The teams went back and forth on offense in the first two and a half innings. The Aztecs struck first with three runs in the 1st inning as Vidal and freshman Cooper Kruk (Catalina Foothills HS) hit RBI singles. Sophomore Matt MacDonald made it 3-0 with his sacrifice-fly RBI that brought in Lorta.
Cereceres made it 4-2 with his run in the 2nd inning but the Cougars scored five in their part of the 2nd inning to take a 7-4 advantage.
The Aztecs came back in the top of the 3rd. Thompson hit a three-run homer to left field scoring Glueck and MacDonald to tie the game at 7-7.
Thompson finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored while Vidal was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run. Glueck went 2-for-3 with a run. Kruk finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Hall took the loss as he pitched two-thirds of inning, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits with two walks on 28 pitches. Freshman Braxton Bjur (Verrado HS) had a strong relief appearance as he pitched four and one-third innings with six strikeouts and two walks.
PCC 3 1 3 0 0 0 1 8 11 2
SMCC 2 5 0 0 0 0 2 9 9 1
L – Hall (2-1). 2B: Glueck 2, Vidal. HR: Thompson. SB: Figueroa-Brito, Vidal, Cereceres.
- Game 2: (6) South Mountain CC Cougars 14, (21) Pima CC Aztecs 6 (7 innings): The Aztecs gave up 12 unanswered runs as the Cougars run-ruled them and took advantage of eight Pima errors.
The Aztecs struck first on offense scoring four runs in the 1st inning. Vidal, Glueck and Thompson had RBI hits and MacDonald hit a sacrifice fly RBI to give Pima an early 4-0 lead. The Cougars got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Sophomore Mike Jones (Canyon del Oro HS) started off the 2nd inning with a double. Cereceres followed with a two-run homer to right field to make it 6-2.
The Aztecs managed three hits and one walk the rest of the way. They did load the bases in the 6th inning, but Vidal struck out to end the threat.
Cereceres finished the game going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs. Glueck went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run while Vidal was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Jones finished 2-for-3 with a run. MacDonald was 1-for-3 with an RBI and Thompson went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Fitak took the loss as he pitched two innings, giving up eight runs (two earned) on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
PCC 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 6 10 8
SMCC 2 0 1 3 5 1 2 14 9 2
L – Fitak (2-1). 2B: Glueck, Jones, Thompson. HR: Cereceres. SB: Figueroa-Brito.
The Aztecs will be back on the road on Tuesday for an ACCAC conference doubleheader at Mesa Community College. The first game starts at 12:00 p.m.
