Cochise Baseball opens 2024 season dropping three of four to CSI
DOUGLAS, Ariz. --- The 2024 Cochise College Baseball season began Friday, as the new-look Apaches hosted College of Southern Idaho for a four-game series spanning over three days. Cochise brings back only 7 returners from the previous season's roster, along with four transfers, and 13 freshmen. Sophomore middle infielder Mathis Meurant, who signed with the University of Arizona last Fall, will lead the Apaches in a 2024 campaign which coaches anticipate as a fresh start with new energy and high expectations. Other key returners include relief pitcher Alex Figueroa, catcher Mason Wray, and outfielder Ruben Villaescusa. Cochise also brings in transfers which include pitchers Eduardo Torres and Jake Green as well as infielder George Hogan. Freshman pitcher Tanguy Meurant also makes his Cochise debut after redshirting last season.
Friday, January 26th: Cochise 4, Southern Idaho 10
Cochise Baseball opened up its season on Friday falling short to the Golden Eagles in a 9-inning afternoon matchup. Sophomore Tyson Noel was the starting pitcher for Cochise, lasting 4 and a third innings striking out 8 and walking four. Four pitchers followed Noel in relief including Meurant, Freshman Alex Vanegas, and Sophomores Eduardo Torres and Luis Diaz. CSI opened the scoring in the third inning when Noel surrendered a solo home run, but the Apaches battled back and tied the game in the fifth. A seven-run 6th inning sealed the deal for CSI as they pulled away with a convincing 10-4 win over Cochise to open the season.
Saturday, January 27th (Game 1): Cochise 17, Southern Idaho 0
Cochise bounced back in a big way Saturday afternoon, as they cruised past CSI in a Game 1 17-0 route of the Golden Eagles. The Apaches were led by Villaeascusa who drove in five runs on two hits. Cochise jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning after Sophomore Pablo Garcia tripled down the third-base line scoring a run. The triple was followed by a Hogan double scoring another. The hits and scoring continued in the third when the Apaches scored six runs on five hits led by Wray, Garcia, and Villaescusa. Freshman pitcher Ramses Guerra started the game for Cochise, who proved he will be an "ace-in-the-making" as he fanned 8 batters over four innings in the shutout. In total, the Apaches collected 13 hits led by Mathis Muerant who went 3-4 scoring three runs with 2 RBIs.
Saturday, January 27th (Game 2): Cochise 1, Southern Idaho 6
In Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader, Cochise and CSI faced off in a pitchers-duel until the sixth inning when the Golden Eagles scored 6 runs to pull away with a 6-1 win over the Apaches. Freshman Mathis Nayral was the starting pitcher for Cochise lasting four innings with three strikeouts and a walk. Jake Green and Alex Figueroa made relief appearances on the mound. CSI took an early lead in the first, but Cochise responded in the third off of an RBI single from Meurant. CSI broke the game open scoring six runs in the top half of the sixth inning off of the Cochise relief pitchers to split the doubleheader. Freshman Richard Gutierrez led the Apaches with two hits going 2-3 and scoring the lone Apache run.
Sunday, January 28th: Cochise 6, Southern Idaho 9
Cochise and Southern Idaho met for the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Bo Hall Field. The Apaches struck first off of a base-clearing double from Hogan giving Cochise 3-0 lead. CSI wasted no time responding as they put up five runs in the top half of the second inning off of Cochsie starting pitcher Sam Pitts. Cochise scored two runs to tie the game back up at five off of a fielder's choice from Villaescusa. Pitts was replaced by Tanguy Meurant, who surrendered two more runs in the third giving CSI the lead back at 7-5. The Golden Eagles scored two more runs in the seventh and ultimately came away with a 9-6 win over Cochise to clinch the season-opening series.
Up Next..
Cochise Baseball (1-3) will host Utah State-Eastern (2-2) on Thursday, February 1st, and again on Friday, February 2nd for doubleheaders beginning at noon at Bo Hall Field in Douglas, Arizona.