(Yuma, AZ) The Pima Community College baseball team (39-13, 24-10 in ACCAC) played a pivotal ACCAC Division I doubleheader at Arizona Western College (28-15, 21-13) on Saturday in a matchup between two potential NJCAA Region I, Division I playoff contenders.
The Aztecs sit in the No. 2 seed with four games remaining. They lead South Mountain Community College by a half-game and Arizona Western College by three games (after today’s doubleheader split).
Sophomore Andrew Stucky (Canyon del Oro HS) was a difference maker on the base paths as he went 1 for 4 with eight runs, four walks and an RBI. Freshman Benji Cazares (Tucson Magnet HS) finished his day going 4 for 7 with four RBIs, four walks, three doubles and a run scored. Sophomore Anthony Imhoff (Queen Creek HS) got the win and freshman Alessandro Castro (Pusch Ridge Christian HS) took the loss.
W – Imhoff (9-2). 2B: Cazares. HR: Gump. SB: Stucky.
The Aztecs took the lead in the early innings and helped close it out with nine runs in the final two innings. The Aztecs also drew 15 walks for the game.
Freshman David Shackelford got it going with a two-run RBI single in the 1st inning bringing around Stucky and sophomore Hunter Faildo. The Aztecs loaded the bases in the 2nd inning as Faildo and sophomore Braedon Mondeau (Cienega HS) each hit sacrifice-fly RBIs, and Shackelford capped off the inning with an RBI single to make it 5-1.
The Aztecs went up 10-2 in the 6th inning when sophomore Rocco Gump (Seton Catholic HS) hit a grand-slam scoring Stucky, Faildo and Mondeau.
The Aztecs scored five runs in the 7th inning as the first four batters all reached base via walks. Sophomore Andrew Maxwell hit a two-run RBI single in the inning and freshman Antonio Avila brought in Cazares on a sacrifice-fly RBI to make it 14-2. Freshman Elijah Reeves (Marana HS) drew the sixth walk of the inning to score Avila to cap it off.
Gump finished the game 1 for 4 with four RBIs and a run scored while Shackelford went 2 for 4 with three RBIs. Faildo was 1 for 2 with an RBI, three runs scored and two walks. Cazares hit an RBI double in the 4th inning and finished 1 for 2 with two RBIs, a run and two walks.
Stucky closed it out going 0 for 1 with five runs scored and four walks.
Imhoff got the win (9-2) as he pitched four and two-third innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with five strikeouts and four walks.
L – Castro (6-5). 2B: Cazares 2, Mondeau, Garcia
The rally fell short for the Aztecs in the 9th inning.
Down 8-5, the Aztecs tacked a run on in the 7th inning when Shackelford reached on an error that scored Stucky. In the 9th, Stucky was hit-by-a-pitch to leadoff and with two outs, Mondeau brought him in with an RBI double. Shackelford flied out to end the game.
The Aztecs took the lead in the 2nd inning with four runs. Sophomore Luis Garcia (Salpointe Catholic HS), Gump, Stucky and Cazares all had RBI hits in the inning as they took a 5-2 lead.
The Matadors scored a run in the 3rd, three in the 4th inning and one in the 5th to take the lead.
Cazares hit his first RBI double in the 1st inning as he finished 3 for 5 with two RBIs while Stucky went 1 for 3 with an RBI and three runs. Garcia was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Mondeau finished 2 for 5 with an RBI and Gump went 1 for 5 with an RBI.
The Aztecs will be back at the West Campus Aztec Baseball Field on Tuesday when they host another crucial ACCAC Division I doubleheader against South Mountain Community College. First game starts at noon.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez
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