Posted: May 26, 2026
No. 8 SMCC Baseball Defeats No. 5 East Central CC to Continue Time at World Series
East Central Community College
(48-15)
12
South Mountain Community College
(49-17)
13
| TOP 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
East Central Community College | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 15 | 2 |
|
South Mountain Community College | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 13 | 8 | 2 |
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE NJCAA
PHOENIX ---
The No. 8 South Mountain Community College baseball team (49-17) defeated East Central CC (MS) 13-12 in an elimination game at the NJCAA DII World Series at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Okla., on Tueday, May 26. Sophomore designated hitter Jack Meissner had a big day at the plate for the Cougars, finishing 2 for 2 with a home run, a double, six RBIs, two runs, and two walks in the victory. Sophomore Bryan Lorenz and freshman Aidan Murphy added two hits and an RBI apiece, freshman Brandon Ornelas scored three runs, and freshman Liu Rodriguez Jr. drove in two as the Cougars set a new program record with their 49th win of the season.
Meissner came through in the biggest spots in the game, driving in the final five Cougar runs to help seal the victory. He hit a two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth that scored Ornelas and sophomore Bobby Pierce Jr. to put SMCC ahead 11-4.
After the Warriors scored five runs in the top of the seventh, Meissner collected a two-out, two-run double that scored Lorenz and Murphy. The six RBIs set a new season high, the home run was his fifth of the year, and the double was his seventh of the campaign.
The bullpen did the rest for SMCC. Freshman Izaiah Moraga tossed two innings of work to earn the win. He allowed six hits, three earned runs, and one walk to go with three strikeouts. Sophomore Diego Rodriguez entered in the ninth with runners on base and got the final three outs to earn the save. He allowed one hit and fanned one.
After ECCC scored a run in the top of the first off SMCC starter freshman Denzel Montijo, the Cougars responded with four runs in their half of the frame. Pierce Jr. and Lorenz hit consecutive singles to start the inning, and Pierce Jr. scored on an RBI single from Murphy. An error allowed Lorenz to score, and sophomore Luke Hewes drove in Murphy with an RBI groundout. Rodriguez Jr. then put SMCC ahead 4-1 with a sac fly to score Ornelas.
The Warriors responded with a two-run single in the top of the second before SMCC answered with one run in the second, one in the third, and two in the fourth. Meissner recorded his first RBI of the day with a sac fly in the second that scored Lorenz.
In the third, Lorenz picked up an RBI with a fielder's choice that scored sophomore Ernie Alvarez. Finally, Rodriguez Jr. picked up his second sac fly in the fourth to score Ornelas, and Alvarez drove in Meissner with an RBI groundout to put SMCC ahead 8-3.
Lorenz finished 2 for 4 with three runs, an RBI, a double, a stolen base, and a walk, while Murphy was 2 for 4 with two runs, an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. Pierce Jr. scored twice and walked twice; Alvarez walked twice, scoring a run and driving in an RBI.
Montijo went 1.1 innings with two earned runs, four walks, and two strikeouts. Freshman Dallas Dunn tossed 3.2 innings of important relief work in the middle innings. He allowed five hits, one earned run, and one walk to go with a K. Freshman Sergio Garcia tossed an inning of relief, allowing three hits and two earned runs to go with a punchout.
SMCC advances to face the loser of a Kellogg CC-Pasco Hernando State College (FL) contest on Wednesday, May 27. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. MT (AZ).
**We are working to resolve issues with the SMCC pitchers and the box score.