Posted: Jan 26, 2026
No. 6 South Mountain CC Baseball Splits Series with No. 1 Salt Lake CC
#1 Salt Lake Community College
4
#6 South Mountain Community College
5
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#1 Salt Lake Community College | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
|
#6 South Mountain Community College | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 5 | 3 |
#1 Salt Lake Community College
4
#6 South Mountain Community College
2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#1 Salt Lake Community College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
|
#6 South Mountain Community College | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
#6 South Mountain Community College
8
#1 Salt Lake Community College
6
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#6 South Mountain Community College | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 1 |
|
#1 Salt Lake Community College | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 2 |
South Mountain Community College
2
#1 Salt Lake Community College
3
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
South Mountain Community College | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
|
#1 Salt Lake Community College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 3 | 7 | 1 |
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College baseball team (2-2) split its season-opening series with No. 1 Salt Lake CC over Jan. 23-24 at Pine View High School in St. George, Utah. The No. 6 Cougars, who are ranked sixth in the NJCAA Division II rankings, posted a 5-4 (seven innings) victory on Jan. 23 and an 8-6 (eight innings) victory on Jan. 24 over the defending NJCAA Division I National Champion Bruins. SMCC also fell 4-2 on Jan. 23 and 3-2 (seven innings) on Jan. 24.
Jan. 23 Recap
The Cougars scored a 5-4, seven-inning victory over the Bruins in the season opener. Freshman Brandon Ornelas led the charge offensively, posting two hits, including a double, and an RBI. Freshman Cody Stoller picked up the win on the mound with four innings of two-hit baseball with one strikeout. Sophomore Blake Bell recorded his first save of the season with three innings of relief that featured three strikeouts, one unearned run, and zero hits.
The Bruins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a pair of unearned runs. That score held until the bottom of the second, when SMCC scored four runs.
A pitch hit sophomore Derek Montijo with one out, and he moved to second when another pitch hit sophomore Ernie Alvarez. Sophomore Nuri Todd brought in Montijo with an RBI single, and an error off the bat of Bobby Pierce Jr. allowed Alvarez to score and pushed Todd to third. Ornelas broke the tie with an RBi double to score Todd, and sophomore Bryan Lorenz made it 4-2 with a sac fly to plate Pierce Jr.
After SLCC scored a run in the top of the fourth, SMCC tacked on what would be the winning run in the bottom half. Pierce Jr. walked to start the frame and moved to third on a pair of wild pitches. Lorenz recorded his second sac fly of the game to give the Cougars a 5-3 advantage.
The Bruins got a run in the sixth, but Bell worked around a lead-off walk in the seventh with a pair of strikeouts to seal the victory.
In the nightcap, sophomores Jaden Leon and Lorenz had two hits apiece, but the Cougars fell 4-2. The Cougars got on the board in the bottom of the first as Leon's two-run single scored Ornelas and Lorenz.
The Bruins scored a run in the top of the sixth and pushed three across in the top of the eighth to secure the victory. Ornelas, Pierce Jr., Alvarez, and sophomore Jack Meissner had singles for SMCC.
Freshman Gennaro Brito took the loss for SMCC, tossing three innings with seven hits, four earned runs, and four strikeouts. Sophomore Lukas Geisler started the game for the Cougars and went four innings with three hits and three strikeouts. Freshman Izaiah Moraga tossed the final two innings, allowing no hits with one strikeout.
Jan. 24 Recap
The Cougars opened the twin bill with an 8-6, eight-inning victory. Sophomore Gavin Short went 3 for 4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBIs to help lead the Cougars to victory. Leon, Todd, and Alvarez had two hits in the win, and Todd and freshman Aidan Murphy recorded stolen bases.
Leon picked up an RBI single in the first to bring in Ornelas, and Liu Rodriguez Jr. drew a bases-loaded walk later in the frame to make it 2-0. SLCC got a run in the first and two in the third to take a 3-2 lead. The Bruins made it 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth courtesy of a solo home run and a wild pitch. They added a sixth and final run in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-2 lead with 12 outs left for the Cougars.
Alvarez drove in Short with an RBI single in the top of the sixth, and an error allowed Todd to also score in the frame. In the seventh, Todd made it 6-5 with an RBI single to score sophomore Matthew McGovern, and a pitch hit Pierce Jr. with the bases loaded to tie the game.
In the eighth, Short blasted a two-out, two-run home run that scored Murphy and gave SMCC the 8-6 advantage.
Sophomore Quinn Robertson retired the side in order in the eighth to seal the victory. He earned the win with 3.1 innings of one-hit relief work with two walks. Freshman Denzel Montijo started the game for SMCC and went 2.2 innings with seven hits, three earned runs, and a strikeout. Sophomore Sergio Garcia tossed 1.1 innings and allowed two hits and two earned runs to go with two K's, and freshman Dallas Dunn also saw time in relief.
The nightcap was another great game, with SLCC prevailing 3-2 by throwing out the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Short continued his hot play on the day with an RBI single in the second ot score Meissner and give SMCC a 1-0 lead. The Bruins hit a two-run home run in the fifth to take a 2-1 lead and later tacked on a sac fly in the inning to make it 3-1.
In the seventh, Todd drew a one-out walk, and Pierce Jr. earned a free pass with two down. Ornelas doubled into right field, easily scoring Todd from second. However, Pierce Jr. tried to make it all the way from first to tie it and was thrown out at the plate to end the game.
Freshman Tommy Woodcock had two hits in the loss to pace the SMCC offense.
Sophomore Braeden McCarroll took the loss on the mound for SMCC. He went 4.1 innings with six hits, three earned runs, and six strikeouts. Freshman Kasen Landry tossed the final 1.2 innings and allowed one hit with two K's.