Posted: May 28, 2026
No. 8 SMCC Baseball Defeats No. 4 Pasco-Hernando State at World Series
South Mountain Community College
(51-17)
21
Pasco-Hernando State College
(38-23)
4
| TOP 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
South Mountain Community College | 8 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 11 | 0 |
|
Pasco-Hernando State College | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 4 |
PHOTO COURTESY OF NJCAA
PHOENIX ---
The No. 8 South Mountain Community College baseball team (51-17) defeated Pasco-Hernando State College (FL) 21-4 (5 innings) in a semifinal contest at the 2026 NJCAA Division II World Series at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Okla. Freshman Liu Rodriguez Jr. finished 3 for 4 with a home run, three runs, four RBIs, and a stolen base to lead the offense. Sophomores Byran Lorenz and Jack Meissner, and freshman Brandon Ornelas, collected multiple hits, runs, and RBIs, and sophomore Luke Hewes, sophomore Nuri Todd, and freshman Aidan Murphy scored three times apiece in the win.
The victory sets up another contest between SMCC and Pasco-Hernando State on Friday, May 29, at 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. MT (AZ). The winner of this game will advance to the National Championship game against No. 2 Pearl River CC (MS) on Saturday, May 30.
Early offense proved key once again for the Cougars. SMCC scored eight runs in the first inning, one in the second and third, nine in the fourth, and two more in the fifth.
Sophomore Bobby Pierce Jr. drew a walk to start the game and quickly stole second. Lorenz singled to put runners on the corners, and Pierce Jr. scored on a wild pitch to put SMCC ahead 1-0. Murphy walked, and he and Lorenz moved into scoring position on a sac bunt from Ornelas.
Meissner then cleared the bases with a two-run single and moved to second on an error on the play. Hewes reached on an error to put runners on the corners, and Rodriguez Jr. plated Meissner with an RBI single.
Sophomore Ernie Alvarez singled to load the bases, and Todd reached on another error with Hewes coming home. Pierce Jr. then picked up an RBI sac fly that scored Rodriguez Jr., and Lorenz added a two-out, two-run double that scored Alvarez and Todd.
Hewes picked up an RBI on a groundout in the second that scored Ornelas to put SMCC ahead 9-1. In the third, Murphy smacked an RBI double that scored Pierce Jr.
The fourth inning saw Alvarez record an RBI sac bunt, Ornelas post a two-run single, Meissner produce an RBI single, and Rodriguez Jr. clear the bases with a three-run home run. The deep fly was Rodriguez Jr.'s sixth of the season and second of the tournament.
Todd scored in the fifth on an RBI groundout from Pierce Jr., and Murphy came home on a wild pitch.
Ornelas was 2 for 3 with two runs, two RBIs, a stolen base, a walk, and a sac bunt, while Lorenz was 2 for 4 with two runs, two RBIs, a walk, and a double. Meissner was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs, and Murphy finished 1 for 2 with three runs, two RBIs, and two walks.
Todd drew two walks, drove in one, and stole two bases, while Hewes added an RBI and two walks to his three runs. Pierce Jr. posted two runs, two RBIs, a stolen base, and a walk.
Freshman Gennaro Brito earned the win on the mound for SMCC. He improved to 2-3 on the season with three innings of work, allowing six hits, three earned runs, and two walks to go with two strikeouts. Sophomore Lukas Geisler tossed the final two innings for the Cougars, allowing four hits, one earned run, and one walk to go with one K.