ARNOLD, Md. – The Anne Arundel Community College baseball team swept visiting Prince George's Community College in NJCAA Region 20 divisional action at Skip Brown Field Saturday afternoon. The Riverhawks had 10 hits in the first game, winning 8-5. In the nightcap, AACC fended off a seventh-inning rally for a 3-1 win.
Camden Hodges went 4-for-6 on the day with a solo home run to left field fence in the first game. Griffin Klein was 2-for-3 with the RBI single that pushed AACC ahead in game one. JC Wilson went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Evan Birch drove in three runs with a pair of sac flies and a double, and also earned the win on the mound in game one.
Game One
AACC totaled double-digit hits for the fifth time this season in the first game, but it was Prince George's (1-11) that took an early lead. The Owls scored two runs in the first on a double steal and a sac fly, and added one run each in the second and third.
The Riverhawks (13-9) scored one run in the first on a dropped fly ball and cut the Owls' lead in half with another run in the second on one of two RBIs from Agustin Murillo in the game.
AACC retired the Owls in order in the fourth and fifth before taking the lead in the bottom of the fifth on back-to-back singles from Klein and Wes Cullison.
Prince George's tied it up in the sixth, but it was all AACC from then on as the home teams scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to cement the win. Nicco Holland led off with a single, stole second, and got to third on a wild pitch. A sac fly from Birch made it 6-5 AACC before Hodges hit his first career home run. Murillo capped the scoring with a sac fly to center, scoring Russell Turner, who had singled, stolen second, and headed to third on a wild throw.
Birch earned the win with two runs on two hits while striking out three in four relief innings. Starter Caden Houck went two innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits while fanning two. Jack Davidson retired the Owls in order in the seventh to earn his first save of the season.
Game Two
AACC never trailed in the nightcap, scoring single runs in the second, fourth, and fifth innings, before fending off a two-out rally by the Owls in the seventh to earn the sweep.
The Owls took advantage of a walk and a throwing error to get runners on first and second before reliever Nolan Spring fanned the next batter. A fly out to center put runners on the corners and the next batter singled to put PG on the board. An infield error loaded the bases before the Riverhawks called in Sam Ross from centerfield. Ross earned his fourth save of the season with a called third strike.
AACC got its first run on a passed ball in the second inning. Birch drove in the second run in the fourth in a pinch hit at bat. In the fourth with two outs, Holland on third, and Hodges on first, Holland came across to score as Hodges occupied the infield's attention before getting thrown out at second.
Reliever Austin Ferreira earned his first win of the season, striking out three while walking two with two hits in two innings. Starter Rocco Dietz went three innings, allowing three hits while walking one and striking out one. Spring threw 1.2 innings of relief, allowing a run on one hit while striking out two before Ross came in to close it out.
Next up for the Riverhawks is a 2 p.m. NJCAA Region 20 divisional doubleheader at CCBC Catonsville on Tuesday, March 18.
