Cochise baseball sweeps South Mountain in thriller doubleheader

The Cochise College baseball team hosted South Mountain College on March 5. On Saturday, the Apaches stole the lead late in the first game in a 6-5 victory over South Mountain. Sophomore RHP Jose Velasquez got the start for the Apaches. Velasquez surrendered four runs on five hits over five innings, striking out six. Cochise allowed two runs in the top of the first inning to go down 2-0. After South Mountain scored another run in the top of the second, making it 3-0, the Apaches answered with one of their own, making it 3-1. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Makai Desoto hammered a ball deep to the left-center for a two-run home run tying the game at three. Eduarny Martinez has the Apaches in the lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. South Mountain wouldn't go without a fight in the top half of the sixth, adding two runs and taking the lead. Makai Desoto crushed a solo home run for his second of the day in the bottom of the sixth inning, tying the ball game and keeping the Apaches alive. The Apaches fought back to tie the game and reaped the benefits in the bottom of the seventh when Gerardo Hernandez stole third base and then took home after South Mountain threw the ball away. Cochise walked off with a 6-5 victory.

Cochise totaled nine hits in the game. Gerardo Hernandez, Eduarny Martinez, and Desoto managed multiple hits for the Apaches. Desoto, Martinez, and Hernandez all had two hits to lead Apaches.

In the second doubleheader game, Martin Miranda toed the rubber for the Apaches. The righty surrendered four runs on six hits over two innings, striking out one and walking zero. Sophomore LHP relieved Miranda and would eat up three and two-thirds innings keeping Cochise in the game but still down five runs after four innings. South scored another three runs in the top half of the sixth, extending the lead to eight runs, leading by a score of 9-1. As it looked like South was going to run away with game two, Cochise was able to explode for an eight-run inning to tie the game at 9-9. Cochise stole the lead late in the game in the bottom of the eighth when Gerardo Hernandez singled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run. Cochise added one more, making it 11-9 and holding the lead to finish the sweep.

In game two, Connor Caskenette collected four hits in five at-bats to help lead them to victory. Caskenette doubled in the fourth, singled in the sixth, doubled in the sixth, and doubled in the eighth. The Apaches racked up 12 hits in the game. Caskenette, Hernandez, Melendez, and Ochoa collected multiple hits for Cochise.

Up Next
The Apaches will be back in action on Tuesday, March 8, at noon against Glendale Community College.