SMCC Baseball Bounces Back with Wins over Phoenix College

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College baseball team (34-14, 26-6 ACCAC) defeated Phoenix College 10-7 on April 8 and 12-2 (5 innings) on April 9 in a pair of ACCAC contests. The Cougars blasted seven extra-base hits and overcame an early 6-3 deficit to post a 10-7 road victory on April 8. In game two, sophomore Joe Terranova went 4 for 4 with a home run, a double, two RBIs, and three runs, and freshman Nuri Todd, sophomore Raul Parada, and sophomore Luke Jones added multiple RBIs in the 12-2, five-inning home victory on April 9. 

April 8 Recap

Trailing 6-3 at the start of the fourth, the Cougars fought back to take a 7-6 lead in the frame. The Bears responded with a run in their half to tie the game, but SMCC pushed across the go-ahead run in the seventh and added two insurance runs in the ninth to complete the comeback. 

Freshman Bryan Lorenz had an RBI single in the first to score Bobby Pierce Jr., and Lorenz and Jones recorded RBI doubles in the top of the third to put SMCC ahead 3-1. However, PC put up five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-3 lead. 

SMCC responded immediately in the fifth as Terranova led off the inning with a double, and Lorenz drew a one-out walk. Terranova scored on an RBI single from freshman Drew Johnson, and Jones drew a walk to load the bases. Lorenz scored on a passed ball, and freshman Gavin Short cleared the bases with a two-run triple to push SMCC ahead 7-6. 

After the Bears tied the game in their half of the fifth, SMCC took the lead in the seventh when Pierce Jr. laced a one-out RBI double that scored Todd. Freshman Marcus Romero led off the ninth with a double and scored on an RBI triple from Todd. SMCC tacked on a second insurance run in the frame on a two-out RBI single from Parada to score Todd. 

Parada had a team-high three hits and added a run and an RBI. Lorenz was 2 for 5 with two runs, two RBIs, a stolen base, and a double, and Johnson was 2 for 5 with a run and an RBI. 

Sophomore Jack Cecil earned the win with 2.1 innings of relief work. He allowed three hits, one unearned run, and one walk to go with two strikeouts. Freshman Sam Yeager recorded the save by tossing 2.2 innings of one-hit relief work with four K's. Freshman Lukas Geisler started the game for the Cougars and went four innings with eight hits, six earned runs, one walk, and five strikeouts. 

April 9 Recap

The offense, led by Terranova's four hits, carried the Cougars to a 12-2, five-inning home victory. Terranova missed hitting for the cycle by a triple and started the scoring with a lead-off home run in the bottom of the second. 

SMCC then put together a two-out rally in the frame, starting with Landon Springmeyer drawing a walk. He stole second and moved to third on an infield single from Romero. Todd brought Springmeyer home with an RBI single, and Pierce Jr. plated Romero with another run-scoring base hit. 

After the Bears pulled one back in the top of the third, the Cougars scored seven times in their half. Parada walked, Terranova doubled, and Johnson walked to load the bases with no outs. Jones hit a two-run single to score Parada and Terranova, and after Romero drew a one-out walk to re-load the bases, Todd slapped a single to right that scored Jones and Johnson. Lorenz added an RBI groundout, and Parada delivered a two-run, two-out single to put SMCC ahead 10-1. 

In the fifth, Lorenz hit a one-out, ground-rule double, Parada walked, and Terranova drove in Lorenz with an RBi single. Johnson walked, Jones singled, and Springmeyer ended the game with an RBI single to score Terranova. 

Todd finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs and a run, Jones was 2 for 4 with a run and two RBIs, and Parada was 1 for 2 with two RBIs, a run, and two walks. 

Sophomore Luis Martin Romero improved to 7-0 on the year with five innings of work. He allowed three hits, one earned run, and zero walks with three strikeouts.