(Coolidge, AZ) The Pima Community College softball team closed out the 2023 season on Saturday at the NJCAA Region I, Division I Tournament.
The No. 3 seeded Aztecs fell in an elimination game to No. 2 Central Arizona College 5-4 as the game ended in a walk-off RBI single for the Vaqueras.
The Aztecs got on the scoreboard in the 3rd inning when freshman Camila Zepeda (Tucson Magnet HS) hit a sacrifice-fly RBI to score sophomore Mia Casadei (Tanque Verde HS), who led off the inning with a walk.
The Vaqueras scored two runs in the bottom-half of the 3rd but the Aztecs quickly responded in the 4th. Freshman Mallory Zylinski-Wrobel (Sahuarita HS) was hit by a pitch and sophomore Stephanie Tapia (Cibola HS) drew a walk with one out. Sophomore Alejandra Castro put the Aztecs back up 4-2 after she drove a three-run homer to left field bringing in Zylinski-Wrobel and Tapia.
The Vaqueras strung together five straight hits in the 7th inning to win it.
Castro finished the game 1 for 3 with three RBIs while Zepeda went 1 for 3 with an RBI. Zylinski-Wrobel was 1 for 3 with a run scored and Casadei finished 1 for 1 with a run.
Freshman Alexis Tsosie-Hood took the loss as she pitched six innings, giving up five runs (five earned) on 10 hits with one strikeout.
“Losing to Central Arizona College twice this weekend was absolutely gut-wrenching and heartbreaking,” Pima softball coach Rebekah Quiroz said. “We went toe-to-toe with the best and my team was as good as anyone there. I am so proud of the way we competed and fought till the end.
This group and these sophomores were stellar from inning one amd I will go to war with them, and for them any day. I am so proud of my Aztecs and so grateful for my staff. We were three outs away from a championship (game) and we will carry this feeling with us into next fall.”
The Aztecs close their season with a 36-24 overall record (most single season wins since 2017 when they went 38-21). They posted an ACCAC conference record of 31-17, which was also the most victories since 2017 (32-16).
Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez
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