May 7, 2010
South Mountain drops series to Central Arizona to end season
South Mountain fell 8-4 and 13-5 to the Vaqueros in the ACCAC Division 1 Playoffs. The Central Arizona offense proved to be too much for the Cougars on the weekend. In each game of the series the Cougars allowed a big inning, a four run sixth in game one and a seven run second inning in game two. In game one, freshman Michael Englund led the offense with two hits, and sophomore Shaun Deisler had two hits in game two. The Cougars finished the season with a record of 38-19 overall and 26-12 in the ACCAC.
Without much on the line, the Cougars took a 6-2 lead into the top of the ninth inning against Cochise. The Cougars bullpen faltered allowing Cochise to score four times in the inning. The two teams battled four more innings until the 13th inning when the Apaches pushed across a run to earn a split in the series. In the second game, the offense was led by freshman Ryan Klem’s three hits.
The ACCAC playoffs will start next week with the #3 Cougars at #2 Central Arizona May 6-8th.
May 1, 2010
South Mountain clinches #3 seed in ACCAC playoffs
Sophomores Kyle Ottoson and Ryan Christenson combined to throw a one-hitter, striking out 11 batters, to lead the Cougars to a 2-1 win in the first game of the series with Cochise College. Both Cougar runs were scored after lead-off triples by freshman Trey Ford and Justin Rosales. The win clinched the 3 seed in the ACCAC Division 1 playoffs for the Cougars and locked Cochise into the 4 seed.
April 27, 2010
Cougars swept by Roughriders in Prescott
In the first game of the series, Yavapai got out to an early 4-0 lead after two innings of play. South Mountain answered back with a run in the third inning and two in the fourth, on a two-run home run from freshman Trey Ford. In the top of the fifth, the Cougars tied the game on an RBI single from sophomore Shaun Deisler. Yavapai added a home run in the bottom half of the fifth inning and used solid relief pitching to hold on for a 5-4 win over the Cougars.
In the second game of the afternoon, the Cougars utilized their bullpen for the entire game, without much success. Yavapai jumped out to a 15-0 lead and never looked back, for the 21-5 victory and a sweep of South Mountain. Freshman Justin Rosales and sophomore Landon Joost each had two hits in the game for the Cougars.
The final regular season series will be on Saturday May 1st, when the Cougars host the 4th place Cochise Apaches for a 12pm double-header.
April 24, 2010
Baseball uses outburst in 9th inning to sweep Eastern Arizona
South Mountain sent sophomore Kyle Ottoson to the mound for the first game of the series. Ottoson threw six innings, allowing just three hits and one run, while striking out 13 batters. Freshmen Justin Rosales and Ryan Klem each had two hits to lead the offense. In the 6th inning, Klem hit his second home run of the season to give the Cougars the 6-2 lead and cap off the scoring in the victory.
The second game of the series featured a pitching duel between the Cougars Joseph Lopez and Eastern’s Jesus Carlos. The Cougars managed a fifth inning run on a triple from freshman Shane Blair and sacrifice fly from Rosales. This was the only scoring in the game until the Cougars erupted for nine runs in the top of the ninth inning, led by two RBI hits from freshman Trey Ford. Joseph Lopez picked up his 8th win of the season by allowing just three hits and striking out 10 batters in the 10-0 victory.
Next up for the Cougars is a trip to Prescott to take on Yavapai College on Tuesday April 27th at 12pm.
April 21, 2010
Baseball misses out on top spot in ACCAC with split of Central Arizona
The Cougars began the week two games behind ACCAC leader Central Arizona. On Tuesday, in Phoenix, the Cougars spotted Central AZ a 6-0 lead before the bats came alive in the bottom of the 7th inning. With two outs, South Mountain scored four runs, led by a bases-loaded double from freshman Kenny Sigman. In the 8th inning, the Cougars allowed one run, but in the bottom half freshman Michael Englund blasted a two-run home run to pull the home team within one run, 7-6. South Mountain tied the game at 7-7 with a run in the bottom of the 9th, followed by Sigman’s RBI single in the bottom of the tenth for the walk-off victory.
On Wednesday, Central’s offense jumped all over the Cougars, scoring 15 times in the first five innings. The Cougars answered with ten runs in the fifth and sixth innings combined, led by sophomore Shaun Deisler’s three RBI’s. With the score at 15-10, Cougar pitching could not hold down the Vaqueros bats, leading to a 21-10 loss.
South Mountain will travel to Thatcher to take on Eastern Arizona College on Saturday April 24th. The double-header will start at 12pm.
April 17, 2010
Cougars Win Streak Come to a Halt at 13
The Cougars baseball team extends win streak to 13 games in Game 1 of doubleheader with Pima Community College. Sophomore Kyle Ottoson picked up his sixth win of the season with five solid innings on the mound. Ottoson notched his ACCAC leading 100th strikeout of the season and allowed just one run. Sophomores Shaun Deisler and Woody Nisbet had two hits each, including doubles, to lead the Cougar offense. Nisbet pitched the final two innings of the 6-2 win.
In game two of the doubleheader, the Cougars fell to the Aztecs by the score of 10-3. The Pima pitching staff pitched their way out of several jams, leaving 13 Cougars in scoring position. Sophomore Steve Castillo and freshmen Justin Rosales, Trey Ford, and Michael Englund each had two hits, but the offense could muster just 3 runs.
Next up for the Cougars is a Tuesday and Wednesday series with ACCAC leading Central Arizona College. The Cougars remain two games behind Central Arizona in the ACCAC standings.
April 13, 2010
Cougars Get Sweep of Matadors with Late Offensive Surge
Sophomore Ryan Christenson threw five innings allowing one earned run, while striking out 6 batters to earn his sixth win of the year in game one of the double-header with Arizona Western College. Freshman Will Fadness broke open a 4-2 game with a 2-run double in the sixth inning for the Cougars. South Mountain went on to win the seven inning game by the score of 6-2.
Casey Collins took the mound for game two of the doubleheader. He pitched five innings, striking out six batters, and was replaced with a 6-3 lead. The Matadors battled back to tie the game at six against the Cougars bullpen. In the bottom of the sixth, South Mountain answered back with five runs, led by a 3-run triple from freshman Jovany Valenzuela. Sophomore Shaun Deisler had three hits and four RBI in the game. The Cougars went on to win by the score of 15-6, notching their 12th straight ACCAC win.
The Cougars Will Take on Pima Community College in an ACCAC Doubleheader on Saturday April 17 at noon.
April 10, 2010
South Mountain gets fifth straight ACCAC sweep against Coyotes
In the first game of the series with Chandler-Gilbert Community College, the Cougars managed just one hit through the first four innings. In the bottom of the fifth, the Cougar offense scored five times on RBI hits from freshman Ryan Klem and sophomores Woody Nisbet and Steve Castillo. Sophomore Joseph Lopez pitched eight strong innings, allowing just four hits, and striking out seven batters for his seventh win of the season. Freshman Tanner Tripp pitched the final inning to finish the 9-0 shutout for the Cougars.
Game two of the series, at CGCC, featured a solid pitching duel between sophomore Kyle Ottoson and Chandler-Gilbert’s Devyn Rivera. Ottoson threw seven innings, allowing two earned runs, striking out seven batters, but gave way to the bullpen with a 2-1 deficit. Freshman Justin Rosales scored the tying run in the eighth inning on a Coyote error. With the score tied at two in the ninth inning, freshman Trey Ford led off with a home run, followed by two more runs on RBI hits from freshmen Ryan Klem and Derek Mendoza. The Cougar bullpen gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but sophomore Woody Nisbet came on to strike out the final two Coyote hitters to record the 5-4 win for the Cougars.
South Mountain CC will host Arizona Western College in an ACCAC doubleheader on Tuesday April 13th at noon.
April 7, 2010
Late offense lifts Cougars to sweep of the Bears
The Cougars looked to sophomore pitcher Ryan Christenson, in the first game of the series, to hold down the Phoenix College Bears until the offense could strike. Christenson held a 2-0 lead through seven strong innings, allowing just two hits and striking out six batters. In the eighth inning, South Mountain broke the game open with RBI hits from freshmen Justin Rosales and Derek Mendoza. Rosales finished the game with three hits, while Mendoza and Ryan Klem had two hits apiece. The Cougars won by the score of 6-1.
In the second game of the series, South Mountain trailed 2-0 headed into the seventh inning. In the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Woody Nisbet delivered an RBI single to pull the Cougars within one run. With one out in the eighth inning, Mendoza single to right field. The base hit was then followed by three more hits from Shaun Deisler, Landon Joost and Trey Ford to put the Cougars up 4-2. With two runners on for Phoenix College in the ninth inning, freshman Ryan Klem struck out three batters to record his second save of the year.
Next up for South Mountain CC is a Friday-Saturday match-up with Chandler-Gilbert CC. Friday’s game will be a 3pm start at SMCC and Saturday will be a noon start at CGCC.
April 3, 2010
Baseball needs two late-inning comebacks to sweep Geckos
South Mountain needed a 3-run rally in the eighth inning on Friday and a 2-run ninth inning on Saturday to secure wins against the Gateway Geckos. On Friday, trailing 3-2 in the eighth inning, sophomore Landon Joost led off with a single, then later scored on an RBI double from freshman Will Fadness. Sophomores Marcus Vigil and Shaun Deisler followed with RBIs to lead the Cougars to a 5-3 win. Sophomore Woody Nisbet threw 2 1/3 innings of relief to pick up the win on the mound.
On Saturday, sophomore Kyle Ottoson, threw seven innings and allowed no earned runs, while striking out nine batters. However, Ottoson left the game with a 2-1 deficit. In the bottom of the ninth, sophomore Shaun Deisler led off with a double, freshman Michael Englund was hit by a pitch, then freshman Trey Ford singled to drive in the tying run. Two batters later, freshman Ryan Klem singled to drive in the winning run. Deisler finished the game with a pair of doubles and freshman Kenny Sigman picked up the win.
Next up is the Phoenix College Bears on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 6th and 7th. The Cougars will be at Phoenix College on Tuesday and home on Wednesday.
March 31, 2010
Cougars Avenge Tournament Lost to Glendale with a Sweep of the Gauchos
In game one of the two-game series, sophomore Ryan Christenson threw eight shutout innings allowing just six hits while striking out five batters. The Cougars broke open a 1-0 game in the bottom of the sixth inning on a 2-run home run from sophomore Shaun Deisler. Freshman Trey Ford, Jovany Valenzuela, and Ryan Klem each added two hits to the offense. Ford finished off a 9-2 win for the Cougars with a 3-run home run in the eighth inning.
In the second game of the series with the Glendale Gauchos, South Mountain started the scoring early with six runs in the second inning. Despite committing three errors on defense, the Cougars were able to pick up a 12-5 victory. Sophomore Casey Collins was the winning pitcher. The offense was led by freshman Derek Mendoza’s four hits and four RBIs. Freshman Ryan Klem pitched in two hits, including a home run.
The Cougars next series will be Friday and Saturday, April 2nd and 3rd, against the Gateway Geckos.
March 31, 2010
Sophomore Joseph Lopez named NJCAA D1 Pitcher of the Week!
Cougar pitcher Joseph Lopez was named the National Pitcher of the Week by the NJCAA for the week ending March 28th. Lopez was honored for his one-hit shutout against the Scottsdale Artichokes. He was the winning pitcher in the Cougars 10-0 win, striking out 12 batters and allowing just 2 walks.
March 27, 2010
Cougars gain first ACCAC series sweep in nearly a month against the Artichokes
The South Mountain offense came alive in a two game series with Scottsdale CC. The Cougars scored 18 runs on 22 hits in the series. In game one, Scottsdale scored twice in the first inning and twice again in the fifth inning to tie the game at 4-4. Freshman Trey Ford hit a 2-run triple in the bottom of the sixth to break open the tie game. Freshman Derek Mendoza added three hits and three RBIs in the 8-4 win. Kyle Ottoson pitched a complete game to pick up his fifth win of the season.
On Saturday, Sophomore Joseph Lopez took the mound for the Cougars and threw six shutout innings, allowing only one hit and striking out 12 batters. The game was ended after seven inning run rule, the Cougars picking up a 10-0 win. Freshman Justin Rosales had three hits and three RBIs, while freshmen Ryan Klem and Will Fadness added two hits each.
The Cougars next games will be a two-game series with the Glendale Gauchos on March 30 and 31st.
March 24, 2010
Pumas Take Advantage of Cougars Wildness to Gain Split of Series
In game one of the series, the Cougars and Pumas were locked up in a pitching duel into the eighth inning. With Paradise Valley CC leading 1-0, with two outs on the eighth, freshman Derek Mendoza drove a 2-run single into left-center field to put the cougars on top. Freshman Will Fadness added a solo home run in the ninth to secure the 3-1 win. Freshman Kenny Sigman picked up the win while sophomore Kyle Ottoson pitched the ninth inning for his first save of the season.
In the second game of the series, the Cougars’ offense jumped out to a 5-1 lead on RBI hits from Shaun Deisler and Will Fadness. Justin Rosales also added a home run in the fourth inning. Casey Collins threw seven strong innings on the mound, allowing just three hits. With one out in the eighth inning, South Mountain relief pitchers walked seven batters and the defense committed two errors, allowing eight runs for the Pumas, leading to a 9-5 loss for the Cougars.
Next up for the South Mountain CC Cougars is a weekend matchup with the Scottsdale Artichokes.
March 20, 2010
Cougars Win 2010 Spring Break Wood Bat Tournament
South Mountain wins the 2010 Spring Break Tournament after dropping their first game, but fighting back to win all remaining games. The tournament was hosted by South Mountain CC and Glendale CC. The Cougars dropped the first game to the Glendale Gauchos by the score of 10-5, despite a solid outing on the mound by freshman Tanner Tripp, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning. In the second game of the tournament, the Cougars defeated El Paso CC by the score of 11-1. Sophomore Casey Collins was the winning pitcher and freshman Will Fadness led the offense with two home runs. South Mountain then defeated Western Nebraska by the score of 11-5, led by three hits and 4 RBIs from freshman Justin Rosales. In the final game, the Cougars matched up with Seminole State College and picked up a 4-3 win in 10 innings. Freshman Kenny Sigman singled in the winning run in the top of the 10th inning.
March 13, 2010
Cougars swept by Apaches in Douglas, AZ
In the first game of the series South Mountain pitcher Kyle Ottoson matched up with Cochise’s ace Anthony Haase in a pitching duel. Haase was able to out-duel the Cougars for a 2-1 victory. Cochise scored the winning run on a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In game two of the series, Cougar bats were silenced again by the Cochise pitching staff. South Mountain was only able to scratch out four hits. The Cougars were swept by the Apaches by the score of 6-0 in the second game. This marks the second time in the last two years that the Cougars were winless in Douglas.
March 11, 2010
Roughriders have two late-inning comebacks to defeat Cougars
In the first game of the series, the Cougars scored three times in the second inning on RBI hits from sophomores Woody Nisbet, Daniel Coulombe, and Steve Castillo. South Mountain took a 3-2 lead into the final inning with the Roughriders, when Yavapai put four runs on the board and went on to win by the score of 6-4.
In the second game, Cougar pitcher Casey Collins kept the Yavapai bats hitless into the seventh inning, while the offense had mounted a 4-0 lead. Yavapai scored three times in the seventh to get back in the game, followed with seven runs in the final two innings to beat the Cougars by a score of 10-5. Freshman outfielder Michael Englund had two hits and drove in three of the five runs for the Cougars.
The Cougars continue ACCAC play with a double-header against Cochise College in Douglas on Saturday.
Mar 8, 2010
Baseball Announcemet
South Mountain CC v. Yavapai College baseball games on March 9th have been re-scheduled for Thursday March 11th at noon due to weather and field conditions. SMCC game versus Arizona State Club team is still scheduled for Wednesday March 10th at 3pm.
Mar 6, 2010
Baseball Update
Baseball Gets Third Straight Series Sweep
South Mountain’s offense came alive, scoring 13 runs in a conference double-header, leading to a two-game sweep of Eastern Arizona College. In game one, freshman Shane Blair broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fifth inning with an RBI single. In the bottom of the sixth, Blair added a 2-run single to lead the Cougars to a 6-2 win. Freshmen Trey Ford (single and HR) and Michael Englund (single and double) each had a pair of hits in the game. On the mound, sophomore Kyle Ottoson threw six innings allowing one run, while striking out seven batters. Freshman Kenny Sigman struck out the final two batters in the seventh, from EAC, with the bases loaded to record his second save of the year.
In game two, sophomore Joseph Lopez, pitched seven innings, allowing just one run on two hits, while not allowing a walk. Freshmen Ryan Klem pitched the final two innings, striking out four batters. Offensively, the Cougars were led by Michael Englund, reaching base four times on two hits and two walks. Sophomore Steve Castillo added two doubles, while freshman Will Fadness and Derek Mendoza had two hits each.
The Cougars (15-5, 8-2 ACCAC) will play host to the Yavapai College Roughriders (14-8, 9-1 ACCAC) in a conference double-header on Tuesday March 9th.
Mar 3, 2010
Baseball Update
Cougars Ride Pitching to Sweep of Mesa
Solid defense and starting pitching help the Cougars to a sweep of Mesa Community College. In game one, at Mesa CC, Sophomore Ryan Christenson held the ACCAC’s top offense to just four hits, while striking out ten batters in seven innings of work on Tuesday. The offense was led by freshman Will Fadness with two hits, including a home run, and two runs batted in. Freshmen Trey Ford and Michael Englund each drove in a run, while sophomore Marcus Vigil added an RBI sacrifice fly in the 7-3 win.
In the second game of the series, sophomore Casey Collins threw a complete game, allowing just three hits and one unearned run. The Cougar offense was able to push across a run in the seventh inning on a leadoff double from sophomore Danny Coulombe and an RBI single from sophomore Landon Joost to tie the game at 1-1. In the bottom of the eighth, freshman Justin Rosales was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and came around to score the winning run on a balk call.
The Cougars (13-5, 6-2 ACCAC) will take the field again on Saturday March 6th against Eastern Arizona College (8-9, 1-5 ACCAC) for a double-header at noon.
Feb 27, 2010
Baseball Update
Baseball Sweeps Aztecs on the Road
Feb. 27, 2010- The Cougar Baseball team took advantage of solid pitching in both games of a double-header, at Pima Community College, en route to 3-0 and 5-3 wins. In game one, Sophomore Kyle Ottoson threw a complete game shutout, allowing only 2 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 7 batters. Freshmen Derek Mendoza (2 for 3, RBI), Michael Englund (3 for 3, 2 doubles) and Justin Rosales (1 for 3, SB) came up with some timely hitting, accounting for all 3 runs.
In game two against the Pima Aztecs, sophomore Joseph Lopez pitched five strong innings to get the win and push his record to 4-0. Sophomore Sam Cerbo pitched the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings, allowing just one run, before giving way to sophomore Woody Nisbet, who notched his 4th save of the season with a scoreless 9th inning. Offensively, freshman Ryan Klem broke a 2-2 tie in the 6th inning with a two-run single that put the Cougars ahead for good. Freshman Will Fadness was 2 for 3 at the plate and sophomore Steve Castillo was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.
The Cougars (11-5, 4-2 ACCAC) next ACCAC series will be Tuesday and Wednesday against Mesa Community College (11-5, 3-3 ACCAC). Tuesday will be at MCC and Wednesday at SMCC, both games will start at 3pm.
Feb 23, 2010
Baseball Update
South Mountain loses on ‘Walk-off’ to AZ Western for Split of DH
Feb. 23, 2010- The Cougars drop the second game of a double-header, after recording the first two outs in the final inning against Arizona Western College. South Mountain pitcher Woody Nisbet struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh, before allowing two walks and a single for a 3-2 victory to the Matadors. Sophomore Landon Joost led the offense for the Cougars with two hits and a hit-by-pitch.
In game one of the double-header, the SMCC and AWC pitching staffs combined to shut out opposing hitters for nine innings. South Mountain pitchers Ryan Christenson, Kyle Ottoson, and Ryan Klem combined to strike out 13 batters in 10 innings of two-hit shutout baseball. In the Cougar half of the 10th, sophomore Woody Nisbet led off with a single, then advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Marcus Vigil. Freshman Justin Rosales lined a single over third base to drive in the game’s only run and securing a 1-0 win for the Cougars.
South Mountain travels to Pima Community College in Tucson for an ACCAC double-header on Saturday Feb. 27th at noon.
Feb 22, 2010
Baseball Update
#23 Cougs Gain Split of Series With #6 Central Arizona
Feb. 20, 2010- The Cougars win the second game of a 2-game series against Central Arizona College by the score of 6-4. South Mountain dropped the first game of the series on Friday, 3-1, despite a solid pitching performance from sophomore Kyle Ottoson. After one weekend of conference play, SMCC holds a record of 1-1 in the ACCAC, and 8-4 overall.
On Friday, the Cougars wasted a solid outing on the mound from Ottoson, going 7 innings, allowing 1 earned run, and striking out 12 batters. Freshman Trey Ford led the offense with 2 hits in 4 at-bats. There were several scoring opportunities throughout the game, but CAC pitchers worked their way out of jams.
In Game 2, the offense came through with 11 hits, along with some timely execution. Freshman Jovany Valenzuela, had a double and a home run, while sophomore Shawn Deisler had 3 hits and 2 RBI. Sophomore Woody Nisbet earned the win on the mound by pitching 4 shutout innings in relief, giving up only 2 hits. Freshman Kenny Sigman recorded the final 3 outs for his first save of the year.
Nov. 16, 2009 - Three Cougar Baseball Players Sign Commitments in Early Period
Three sophomore left-handed pitchers sign National Letters of Intent during the NCAA’s early signing period for the 2010-2011 season. Kyle Ottoson, Ryan Christenson, and Daniel Coulombe have signed scholarships to play in some of the best baseball conferences in the country. All three have been selected in past Major League Baseball amateur drafts and should have a major impact on the successes of the 2010 SMCC baseball team.
Kyle Ottoson signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Arizona State University. Last year, Ottoson led the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference in wins (10) and was named 1st Team All Region and 1st Team All-ACCAC. He was also drafted in the 2009 MLB amateur draft by the New York Yankees.
Ryan Christenson signed a National Letter of Intent to pitch for the Cowboys of Oklahoma State University next season. Christenson pitched as both a starter and reliever for the Cougars a year ago and has made huge strides in development over the summer. He was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2009 MLB amateur draft.
Daniel Coulombe, a left-handed pitcher and outfielder, signed a National Letter of Intent to compete at Texas Tech University in 2010-2011. Coulombe pitched as a freshman at USC prior to transferring to SMCC for his sophomore season. He was selected in the 2008 MLB amateur draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
2009 South Mountain Community College MLB Draft Selections:
- Randy Henry - (Baltimore Orioles)
- Chase Johnson - (Philadelphia Phillies)
- Kyle Ottoson - (New York Yankees)
- Ryan Christenson - (Los Angeles Dodgers)
- Nicholas Rosthenhausler -(Detroit Tigers)
Three former Cougars were also selected:
- Cameron Bayne - (Chicago White Sox, via Concordia University)
- Jordan Whatcott - (Los Angeles Angels, via University of Utah)
- Adam Bailey - (New York Yankees, via University of Nebraska)
June 12, 2009-Five Cougars Selected in 2009 Major League Baseball Draft
Phoenix, Arizona - South Mountain Community College had five players chosen by Major League Baseball organizations over the three day draft. SMCC boasts the highest player selected from the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference, Randy Henry, as well as the most players drafted in the conference. Only one other junior college in the country, Miami-Dade College in Florida, had more selections than SMCC. For the fourth consecutive year, SMCC has had the most players drafted in the ACCAC. Three former Cougars were also selected in the 2009 draft, Cameron Bayne (Concordia University), Jordan Whatcott (University of Utah), and Adam Bailey (University of Nebraska). Of the total eight players, only two (Ottoson and Christenson) had been drafted prior to attending SMCC.