SMCC Baseball Finishes 7-2 over Spring Break Slate

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College baseball team (22-11, 15-3 ACCAC) enjoyed its time on Spring Break, finishing 7-2 with victories over Yavapai College, Phoenix College, Monroe CC (NY), Scottsdale CC, and Madison College (WI) during the week. The Cougar opened the nine-game slate by splitting a non-conference doubleheader at Yavapai College on Mar. 5, winning game one 14-13 before falling 11-5 in game two. Later in that week, SMCC split an ACCAC series with Phoenix College, winning 16-5 on Mar. 6 before falling 5-4 on Mar. 8. SMCC then defeated Monroe CC 11-1 in six innings on Mar. 10, swept a home ACCAC doubleheader (7-2, 10-6) from Scottsdale CC on Mar. 11, and posted 6-5 (Mar. 14) and 7-1 (Mar. 16) victories over Madison College. The Cougars got quality pitching and timely hitting from multiple players over the nine games. 

Yavapai College Doubleheader Recap

The first game saw SMCC win game one 14-13 in seven innings as it held off a Roughrider rally. SMCC led 9-6 after three but trailed 12-11 after Yavapai scored five runs in the fifth. The Cougars responded with three runs in the sixth to take a 14-12 lead, and Yavapai could only scratch across one more run. 

The Cougars had 12 hits, including home runs from Joe Terranova,  Raul Parada, and  Gavin Short. Terranova finished 2 for 4 with three runs, four RBIs, a double, and a home run, while Short was 2 for 3 with three runs, two RBIs, a triple, and the deep fly. Parada was 2 for 5 with three RBIs, a run, and the home run. 

Luke Jones went 3 for 4 with two runs, a stolen base, and an RBI, and Bobby Pierce Jr. scored three times and added a walk and a stolen base. Zac Chapman stole a pair of bases and scored a run. Santiago DiBene earned his first win of the year with an inning of relief that featured a strikeout. Christopher Mata recorded his first save of the year by tossing the final 1.1 innings with two strikeouts. Jack Cecil started the game and went 3.1 innings with five hits, three earned runs, three walks, and two strikeouts. Matt Elliot and Quinn Robertson also saw time in relief. 

In game two, the Roughriders scored at least one run in every inning en route to the 11-5, seven-inning victory. Marcus Romero hit a solo home run for the Cougars and finished 2 for 2 with two runs and an RBI. Maxton Peck went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, a run, and a double, and Landon Springmeyer hit a double. 

Robert Whitaker took the loss in his SMCC debut, going 2.1 innings with five hits, six earned runs, four walks, and two strikeouts. Adin Oeltjen started the game and went 2.0 innings with three hits, two earned runs, two walks, and two strikeouts. Sam Yeager tossed the final 1.2 innings with two hits, three unearned runs, and a walk. 

Phoenix College Series Recap

The Cougars exploded for a 15-6, six-inning road victory on Mar. 6 to defeat the Bears. SMCC scored at least one run in every inning and pushed multiple runs across in every frame after the first. 

Brayden Grantham led the charge by finishing 3 for 3 with three runs, three RBIs, a walk, and a double. Bryan Lorenz and Terranova had two hits apiece, with both collecting doubles. Terranova posted two RBIs and scored a run, and Lorenz scored twice and drove in one.

Pierce Jr. scored twice, Parada had two RBIs and two runs, and Jones had two RBIs, two walks, and a run. Mata went 1 for 2 with two runs, two RBIs, and a walk, and Peck scored twice and walked once. 

Grant Young (3-0) earned the win with four innings of relief work. He allowed five hits, one earned run, two walks, and seven strikeouts. Michael Caruso started the game for SMCC and went 2.0 innings with four hits, three earned runs, three walks, and three K's. 

In the second game of the series, the Bears scored twice in the sixth to pull off the comeback 5-4 victory on Mar. 8. SMCC scored two runs in the second, one in the third, and one in the fourth.

Lorenz and Springmeyer homered in the loss, with Springmeyer blasting a two-run shot in the second and Lorenz adding a solo blast in the fourth. Springmeyer was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a run, and Lorenz added a walk. Parada had the fourth RBI, and Terranova and Peck scored once. 

Freshman Thomas Peck (1-3) took the loss after going six innings with eight hits, five earned runs, and two strikeouts. Braeden McCarroll threw three innings of hitless relief with two strikeouts. 

Monroe CC (NY) Recap 

The Cougars defeated the visiting Tribunes from Rochester, NY, 11-1 in six innings on Mar. 10. SMCC led 5-0 after three and added four in the fifth and two in the sixth to conclude its offensive output. 

Pierce Jr., Parada, Lorenz, and Drew Johnson had two hits in the victory. Parada homered and went 2 for 3 with two runs, an RBI, and a walk, and Pierce Jr. had three RBIs. Lorenz went 2 for 3 with a run, and Johnson was 2 for 3 with two RBIs. 

Nuri Todd went 1 for 2 with two RBIs and a run scored, and Jaden Leon and Short scored twice. 

Cecil earned his first win of the year with five innings of work and 10 strikeouts. He scattered two hits, one earned run, and three walks. Robertson tossed an inning of relief with two K's. 

Scottsdale CC Series Recap

SMCC trailed early in game one but tied it in the fourth and scored five runs in the fifth to post the 7-2, seven-inning victory on Mar. 11. 

Mata, Johnson, and Springmeyer all had two hits in the win. Mata was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and a run, while Springmeyer was 2 for 2 with a double and two runs.

Johnson and Jones had the team's doubles, and Brady Lord had a stolen base. Parada had a pair of RBIs, and Terranova, Grantham, Lorenz, and Pierce Jr. scored once. 

Lukas Geisler (4-1) tossed a complete game to earn his fourth win of the season. He worked around four hits, two unearned runs, and three walks and added three strikeouts. 

In game two, the Cougars posted another comeback by overcoming an early 3-0 deficit after three innings. SMCC scored four in the fourth, added one in the fifth, three in the sixth, and two in the eighth en route to the 10-6 victory. 

Terranova, Parada, and Lorenz had two hits each in the win. Parada was 2 for 4 with a run, an RBI, and a double, while Terranova was 2 for 4 with two runs and a double. Lorenz added an RBI, and Springmeyer was 1 for 2 with two runs, three RBIs, and a home run.

Peck had a pinch-hit, two-run ground-rule double, and Jones scored three times and added an RBI and two walks. Johnson walked and scored twice, and Jones and Springmeyer had stolen bases. 

Luis Martin Romero (4-0) recorded his fourth win of the year with 5.2 innings of work. He allowed seven hits, three earned runs, three walks, and fanned six batters. McCarroll and Elliot saw time in relief in the victory. 

Madison College Series Recap

The Cougars defeated the Wolfpack 6-5 on Mar. 14 and 7-1 on Mar. 16 in a pair of non-conference contests. SMCC jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three innings, but Madison responded with four runs in the fourth to take the lead. SMCC pushed three runs across in the sixth and held off a ninth-inning rally to post the win. 

Pierce Jr. led SMCC with three hits and scored a run. Parada, Johnson, and Peck had two hits each, with Parada posting one run and one RBI, Johnson driving in two while scoring once, and Peck adding an RBI and a stolen base. Todd had a sacrifice fly, and Jones, Terranova, and Springmeyer scored once. 

Young earned the win with 4.1 innings of relief work. He struck out six batters and scattered two hits and a walk. Caruso started the game for SMCC and went 3.2 innings with four unearned runs, one walk, and four strikeouts. Mata earned his second save of the year with an inning of relief with one strikeout. 

In the Mar. 16 game, the Cougars scored in the first, added three in the third, and pushed across one run in the fourth, fifth, and sixth en route to the 7-1 triumph. 

Terranova was 2 for 4 with a triple, a home run, two runs, and five RBIs. Pierce Jr. had the team's second triple and went 2 for 5 with two runs and a stolen base. Johnson had two hits and scored a run, Peck scored twice after being hit by a pitch four separate times, and Jones cracked a double. 

Yeager earned the win with three innings of scoreless relief on the mound. He worked around two hits and two walks while fanning one. Thomas Peck started the game for SMCC and went 4.0 innings with one hit, one unearned run, one walk, and two strikeouts. Robertson and DiBene tossed an inning of relief with a strikeout each.