SMCC Baseball Sweeps Scottsdale CC to Open ACCAC Play

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College baseball team (5-5, 2-0 ACCAC) defeated Scottsdale CC 9-2 on Feb. 7 and 4-3 on Feb. 8 in a pair of ACCAC games to open its 2025 conference slate. Sophomore David Galindo improved to 3-0 on the year with 5.2 innings and five strikeouts, sophomore Christopher Mata drove in three runs, and freshman Drew Johnson reached base safely in five plate appearances in the 9-2 home victory. The next day, Johnson drove in the game-winning run with an RBI double in the eighth and sophomore Matt Elliot earned his first save of the year by slamming the door on a Fighting Artichoke comeback in the ninth. 

Feb. 7 Recap

The Cougars scored in four straight innings in the middle of the game to win the league opener 9-2. 

Galindo turned in another impressive performance on the mound, improving to 3-0 on the season. He fanned five and worked around seven hits, one earned run, and two walks to pick up the decision. Fellow sophomore Luis Martin Romero recorded his first save of the year with 3.1 innings of one-hit relief work with one K. 

After SCC scored a run in the top of the third, SMCC quickly responded with three in their half of the frame.

Sophomore Brayden Grantham led off with a single and moved to third on a single from freshman Bobby Pierce Jr. Mata recorded his first RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to score Grantham, and sophomore Raul Parada put SMCC ahead with an RBI single to score Pierce Jr. Johnson concluded the scoring with a two-out RBI single to plate sophomore Joe Terranova. 

In the fourth, Parada successfully executed a suicide squeeze to bring in Grantham and make it 4-1 SMCC. 

The fifth saw SMCC score four times as sophomore Marcus Romero drew a bases-loaded walk, Pierce Jr. hit a sac fly, and Mata recorded a two-run double. 

Sophomore Landon Springmeyer brought in SMCC's ninth run with an RBI single in the sixth to score Johnson, who finished 3 for 3 with two runs, one RBI, and two walks.  

Pierce Jr. was 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI, and Mata had the double and three RBIs. Grantham was 2 for 4 with two runs. 

Feb. 8 Recap

SMCC rallied from down 3-2 to score two runs in the eighth and post a 4-3 victory.  

Parada doubled to start the frame and scored on an RBI double from sophomore Joe Terranova. After Zac Chapman drew a walk, Johnson drove in Terranova to put SMCC ahead 4-3. 

Freshman Braeden McCarroll worked a quick eighth to earn the win. Elliot retired from the side to post his first career save in the ninth. 

SMCC trailed 1-0 after the first but scored twice in the second to take the lead. Terranova singled, and Johnson and sophomore Luke Jones drew walks to load the bases with one out. An SCC error allowed Terranova and Johnson to score and give the Cougars the lead. 

The Fighting Artichokes tied the game in the fourth and took a 3-2 lead in the sixth to set up the eighth-inning dramatics. 

Terranova was 3 for 5 with three stolen bases, two runs, an RBI, and a double, while Parada was 2 for 5 with two doubles and two runs. Johnson had the team's fourth double and was 1 for 3 with a run, an RBI, a stolen base, and a walk. 

Sophomore Fabian Ibarra started the game for SMCC and three innings with three hits, three strikeouts, three walks, and one earned run. Freshman Lukas Geisler went 3.1 innings with three hits, two earned runs, three walks, and two strikeouts.