Offense Powers SMCC Baseball to Victories over Chandler-Gilbert CC

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College baseball team (11-9, 8-2 ACCAC) defeated Chandler-Gilbert 11-3 (7 innings) on Feb. 25 and 11-3 (8 innings) on Feb. 26 in a pair of ACCAC games. The offense produced 10 hits, including two doubles and six stolen bases, to back up a solid start from freshman Lukas Geisler in the Feb. 26 road victory. The next day, sophomore Landon Springmeyer blasted a two-run home run and a three-run double, and freshman Derek Montijo added four RBIs as the Cougars posted the run-rule home win. 

Feb. 25 Recap

Tied at 1-1 in the fifth, the Cougars scored four times in the fourth and added three in the sixth and seventh to post the 11-3, seven-inning victory. 

Sophomore Luke Jones reached on a one-out error in the fourth and moved to second after a pitch hit Marcus Romero with two down. Sophomore Brayden Grantham singled to load the bases, and freshman Bobby Pierce Jr. earned an RBI after he got plunked.  

Sophomore Joe Terranova then singled to make it 3-1, and sophomore Raul Parada brought in two more with an RBI single. 

In the sixth, Terranova walked to start the frame and scored on an RBI double from freshman Bryan Lorenz. A two-out double from Jones brought in Lorenz, and Montijo drew a walk to put two on for Romero. He reached on an error that brought in Jones to end the scoring. 

In the seventh, Pierce Jr. took first after being hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on an RBI single from Terranova. With two outs, Lorenz singled, and Jones and Montijo strung together consecutive RBI singles to give SMCC the run-rule victory. 

Parada, Jones, and Lorenz led the charge with two hits apiece. Parada finished 2 for 5 with three RBIs and a run, Lorenz was 2 for 4 with two runs, two RBIs, a walk, and a double, and Jones was 2 for 4 with two runs, a stolen base, two RBIs, and a double. 

Pierce Jr. scored three runs with his steal, and Terranova had two steals with a run and an RBI.  

All that offense was more than enough for Geisler (2-1), who worked five innings to earn his second win of the year. He worked around 10 hits and a walk to allow three earned runs with three strikeouts. Freshman Thomas Peck tossed two innings of hitless relief and fanned three. 

Feb. 26 Recap

SMCC exploded for six runs in the first en route to an 11-3, eight-inning home victory.

Pierce Jr. reached on an error, Terranova singled, and Parada reached on a bunt to load the bases. Lorenz picked up an RBI on a groundout, and a pitch hit freshman Drew Johnson to re-load the bases with one down. 

Montijo cleared the bases with a three-run double to right, and he trotted home on Springmeyer's two-run home run, his second of the season. 

The Cougars added a run in the fourth on a Montijo sacrifice fly, and SMCC produced four more runs in the eighth to record the walk-off victory.

Pierce Jr. singled to start the frame and moved to second after Terranova drew a walk. Parada drove home Pierce Jr. with an RBI single, and Lorenz reached to load the bases. Springmeyer cleared the bases with a two-out, three-run double to left to end the game. 

Springmeyer finished 2 for 4 with a career-high five RBIs and a stolen base, while Montijo was 1 for 4 with four RBIs. Parada went 3 for 4 with two runs and an RBi, and Pierce Jr. was 2 for 5 with two runs and a double. Terranova also had a pair of hits. 

Sophomore Luis Martin Romero (2-0) turned in an impressive performance on the mound to earn the win. He went six innings with three hits, one earned run, and seven strikeouts. Freshman Braeden McCarroll tossed 1.2 innings of relief, and sophomore Matt Elliot got the final out of the eighth with a strikeout.