Cochise splits home doubleheader with South Mountain

DOUGLAS, Ariz. --- Cochise Baseball hosted ACCAC Division 1 foe South Mountain Community College on Saturday afternoon which resulted in a doubleheader split after an 11-inning Game 2. 

Game 1: Cochise 8, South Mountain 6

In Game 1, Cochise clawed back after a 6-1 deficit to take down SMCC 8-6. The Apaches took the lead in the bottom of the third inning, but the Cougars responded with six runs in the top of the fifth to take a 6-1 lead. Cochise rallied right back scoring five more runs in the bottom half of the fifth to tie the the game. Cochise third-baseman Kenneth Rhein hit a 2-run go-ahead home run to give the Apaches the lead in the sixth. Freshman lefthander Sam Pitts opened the game for Cochise, surrendering four hits and four runs over four and one-third innings, striking out one and walking none. Olmedo Quezada tossed two innings of scoreless baseball in relief. In total, Cochise collected ten hits led by Hadley Smith, Mathis Meurant, Francisco Laya, and Rhein who each had multiple hits.

Game 2 (11 Innings): Cochise 3, South Mountain 5

In Game 2, it took extra innings for South Mountain to bounce back and steal a game from Cochise on their home field. The game was tied at three in the top of the eleventh inning when SMCC took the lead with a two-run home run off reliever Quezada. Cochise lost despite out-hitting South Mountain 8-7. Sophomore catcher Mason Wray and outfielder Ruben Villaeascusa each collected two hits for the Apaches. Ramses Guerra opened the game for Cochise giving up three hits and two runs over six innings, striking out seven and walking three. 

Up Next...

Cochise Baseball (20-12,9-7) heads on the road to Chandler, AZ to take on Chandler-Gilbert Community College (18-10,8-8) on Tuesday, March 19th for a doubleheader at noon, and will host Langley Blaze out of Langley, British Columbia, Canada on Thursday, March 21st and Scottsdale Community College (14-14,6-10) on Saturday, March 23rd each four doubleheaders at noon.