(Tucson, AZ) The Pima Community College baseball team (38-12, 23-9 in ACCAC) picked up a huge ACCAC Division I sweep on Tuesday against Cochise College (32-18, 16-16).
The Aztecs have won five straight and remain in a tight race in the ACCAC standings. They sit in the No. 2 seed but just a couple of games separate the 2-4 spots with six games left in the regular season.
The Aztecs got a boost on offense from sophomore Andrew Stucky (Canyon del Oro HS), who finished the day 5 for 8 with seven RBIs and three runs scored. Fellow sophomore Gage Mestas went 3 for 5 with an RBI and five runs scored. Sophomore Jaeden Swanberg (Salpointe Catholic HS) and freshman J.T. Drake picked up the wins on the mound.
Gage Mestas/Photo – Stephanie van Latum
Game 1: Aztecs 8, Apaches 4:
The Aztecs rallied with eight unanswered runs to take the lead for good.
Freshman David Shackelford tied the game in the 2nd inning as he scored on an error. Mestas got hit by a pitch to open the 3rd inning and Stucky went yard on a two-run shot to give Pima a 3-1 lead.
The Aztecs padded their lead with three runs in the 4th inning. Sophomore Joey Adge hit a two-run RBI double to plate Shackelford and sophomore Rocco Gump (Seton Catholic HS). Pinch runner Antonio Avila later scored on Stucky’s sacrifice-fly RBI to put the score at 6-1.
Sophomore Hunter Faildo made it 8-1 with a two-run RBI single in the 6th inning to drive in Avila and Mestas.
Stucky finished the game 1 for 2 with three RBIs while Adge went 2 for 2 with two RBIs. Shackelford was 2 for 3 with two runs and Mestas also scored twice. Faildo finished 1 for 4 with two RBIs.
Swanberg picked up the win (5-3) as he pitched six and one-third innings, giving up four runs (four earned) on five hits with nine strikeouts and three walks on 94 pitches.
W – Swanberg (5-3). 2B: Adge 2. HR: Stucky. SB: Gump.
Game 2: Aztecs 13, Apaches 8:
The Aztecs put a halt to chances of extra innings as they broke open a tie game in the 8th inning.
With the score knotted at 8-8, the Aztecs scored five runs in the inning to take the lead for good. Pinch runner Jontae Hennesy scored on a wild pitch and Stucky knocked in Gump and sophomore Luis Garcia (Salpointe Catholic HS) with a two-run single. Mestas scored on a passed ball and Stucky crossed home plate on an error.
Stucky had his first two-run RBI hit of the game in the 4th inning with a triple to score Garcia and Mestas to give Pima a 4-3 lead. Stucky scored on freshman Benji Cazares’ (Tucson Magnet HS) RBI single in the inning.
Gump and Mestas each had RBI hits and runs scored in the 5th inning as the Aztecs went up 8-4. The Apaches tied it up with two runs in each the 6th and 7th innings.
Stucky closed out the game going 4 for 6 with four RBIs and two runs while Mestas finished 3 for 4 with an RBI and three runs. Cazares was 1 for 3 with two RBIs and a run. Gump and Garcia each scored two runs.
Drake got the win (2-0) after he pitched the final four innings in relief, giving up two runs (none earned) on one hit with four strikeouts and one walk.
W – Drake (2-0). 2B: Mestas. 3B: Stucky. SB: Gump, Avila.
The Aztecs will hit the road on Saturday for an ACCAC Division I matchup at Arizona Western College. Games will be at 12:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez
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