(Mesa, AZ) The Pima Community College baseball team (45-11, 29-11 in ACCAC) closed out the regular season on Saturday at Mesa Community College (30-26, 17-23).
The No. 9 ranked Aztecs earned their third straight run rule victory as they beat the Thunderbirds 13-1 in six innings. The Aztecs scored 40 runs in the last three games.
They close out the regular season with six straight wins and go 15-2 in their last 17 games. Their 29-11 record in ACCAC conference play is the most wins since 1987 when they won 30 games.
The Aztecs took control in the 1st inning as they scored seven runs. Sophomore Nolan Ganter (Pinnacle HS) drove a pitch deep to center field for a three-run homer, bringing around freshman Leon Cereceres and sophomore Caden Richards. They had singled and walked respectively to start the inning. Freshman Jackson Glueck hit a single and sophomore Collin Senior (Horizon HS) drew a walk. With one out, freshman Matt MacDonald found a gap in center field for a two-run RBI single to make it 5-0. MacDonald scored on sophomore Andrew Grenert’s (Horizon HS) RBI single. Grenert scored the final run of the inning off an error.
Freshman Zach Plasschaert made it 8-0 in the 3rd inning with a lead-off home run to center field. Glueck hit a sacrifice-fly RBI in the 4th inning to plate Richards as Pima led 9-0.
The Pima offense wasn’t finished as they scored another four runs in the 6th inning. Cereceres led off with a single and Richards followed with a two-run homer to left field to put the score at 11-1. Senior hit an RBI single to drive in Ganter, and MacDonald had an RBI to bring in Glueck.
Ganter finished the game 2 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs while Cereceres went 3 for 4 with two runs. Richards was 1 for 2 with two RBIs, three runs and two walks. Glueck closed it out going 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs. MacDonald went 1 for 4 with two RBIs and a run. Senior, Plasschaert and Grenert each finished an RBI and a run.
Sophomore Lucas Casey (Canyon del Oro HS) picked up the win as he pitched five innings, giving up one run (one earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk on 75 pitches.
Pima 7 0 1 1 0 4 13 12 1
Mesa 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 6 1
W – Casey (7-2). HR: Richards, Ganter, Plasschaert. SB: MacDonald 2, Cereceres.
The No. 2 seeded Aztecs will host No. 3 Paradise Valley Community College in the Region I, Division II Semifinals in a best-of-3 series at the West Campus Aztec Field. The first game on Thursday will start at 3:00 p.m.
