Cochise baseball sweeps No. 2 ranked Central Arizona

The Cochise College baseball team played a home series doubleheader against the number two ranked Central Arizona on April 12. Cochise swept Central Arizona with an 11-5 victory in game one and a 10-4 victory in game two.

"I thought we played well in the rough conditions of 35 mph winds," said Head Coach Todd Inglehart. "It is a testament to their toughness to play well in an uncomfortable situation."

Freshman RHP Jose Velazquez started for the Apaches. Velazquez went two and a third innings, allowing two hits and two runs while striking out two Central hitters. Central got on the board first with two runs in the top of the third inning on a misplayed ball in the outfield and bases loaded walk by Velazquez. Cochise answered back in the bottom half of the third with five runs of their own to take the lead and never looked back.

Freshman shortstop Alan Ochoa singled on a line drive off the leg of the opposing pitcher for an RBI to get Cochise on the board. Sophomore OF Gerardo Hernandez followed up with a single of his own that scored a run tying the game up at two. The Apaches took the lead on a wild pitch that scored Ochoa, making it 3-2. Cochise kept the momentum rolling with a two-RBI single from sophomore Eduarny Martinez giving Cochise a 5-2 lead after three innings. Freshman RHP Angel Ortiz was the first guy out of the pen and did a great job holding off the Central offense. Ortiz went one and two-thirds innings allowing just one hit and striking out three. Cochise added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a dropped third strike that scored a run and an error by the Central AZ second basemen allowed Cochise to push another run across, extending their lead to 7-2 after four innings. Central cut the lead to two runs in the top of the fifth inning scoring on a passed ball and a two-run home run.

Cochise answered back with one of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning and then another three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, giving them an 11-5 lead. Sophomore RHP Marco Ozuna threw three innings of shutout baseball, earning the save. Ozuna only allowed one hit over his three innings of work while striking out seven and making his eighth save of the year. The Apaches took game one with a score of 11-5 and racked up nine hits in the win, with multiple Apaches having a multi-hit game: Ochoa, Hernandez, E. Martinez and Cameron Crotte.

In the second game of the home doubleheader, Cochise jumped out to an early lead putting up three runs in the first inning. The Apaches got the scoring started with an RBI double from E. Martinez, which scored a run. Aaron Marsh got the Apaches another run with a single up the middle that scored Martinez. Cochise pushed one more across in the inning, making it three to zero after one. Freshman RHP Fernando Barreda got the start for the Apaches. The Freshman RHP allowed three hits and three runs over three innings, striking out three Central batters. Cochise watched a three-run lead slip away in the top of the third inning when Central hit a three-run home run tying the game up. Cochise rolled with the punches and fired back with their home run in the bottom half of the second when Makai Desoto hit a two-run jack.

The Apaches took the lead in the third inning and never looked back. Freshman RHP Martin Miranda came into the game in relief for Barreda and gave the Apaches two and a thirds innings of work striking out three and allowing no runs. Miranda earned his sixth victory of the year (6-0) and continued to be a mainstay arm for the Cochise bullpen. Cochise added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning when Damian Garcia hit a two-run pitch hit triple to center field, making it 7-3. Central answered with a home run of their own in the top of the sixth, cutting the lead to three. The Cochise bullpen held the Central hitters off throughout the rest of the game. Marco Ozuna earned his ninth save of the year, throwing a clean inning in the top of the eighth, striking out two.

Makai Desoto extended the Apaches' lead in the bottom half of the eighth inning with a solo home run, his second of the day. Connor Caskenette added two more with a two-RBI single, making it 10-4, the game's final score giving the Apaches another home sweep.

Cochise saw the ball well today in the second game racking up twelve hits. Crotte, Desoto, and Caskenette all had multiple hits for Apaches. Crotte led Cochise with three hits in five at-bats.

"I do not feel like it was an upset. I have never believed this team, or most of my teams, are overmatched against anybody in the country," Head Coach Todd Inglehart commented on the sweep. "If we compete and play with a chip on our shoulder, I expect to win against whomever or wherever we play."

This coming Saturday, the Apaches will be back in action when they travel to Prescott, AZ, for a doubleheader against Yavapai College.