Apaches win fourth straight after sweeping Scottsdale doubleheader

DOUGLAS, Ariz. --- The Cochise Baseball team won its fourth straight after sweeping their home doubleheader against the visiting Scottsdale Community College Fighting Artichokes on Saturday afternoon. Last week, Cochise welcomed Langley Blaze Baseball out of Langley, British Columbia, Canada, and won both games 11-1 and 8-1 respectively. Scottsdale visited Bo Hall Field after being swept at home by Central Arizona College.

Game 1 (6 Innings): Cochise 12, Scottsdale 2

In Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader, Cochise collected 12 runs off of 14 hits in a 10-run rule route of the Artichokes. Sophomore Pablo Garcia drove in four runs of his own on two hits including a grand slam in the fourth inning. The big fourth inning began with a Mathis Meurant ground out scoring one run, a Ruben Villaescusa single scoring another, and a Kenneth Rhein sacrifice fly scoring the third. The Garcia grand slam to left broke the game open for Cochise, which eventually ended in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Freshman pitcher Sam Pitts started on the mound for Cochise, surrendering four hits and two runs over six innings, striking out five and walking one. Kieran Gaffney led the Apaches with three hits in four at-bats. Rhein, Villaescusa, George Hogan, and Hadley Smith each collected multiple hits.

Game 2: Cochise 8, Scottsdale 6

In Game 2, Mathis Meurant led the way with three hits in five at-bats, as Cochise defeated Scottsdale 8-6 in nine innings. Meurant hit his fourth home run of the season in the fifth inning and added a double in the sixth, and a single in the fourth. The Apaches managed to build a six-run lead in the sixth inning, but the gap was closed when Scottsdale put together a four-run seventh inning off of Apache reliever Alex Figueroa. Freshman reliever Olmedo Quezada came in relief for Figueroa, and Sophomore Tyson Noel made a rare relief appearance to shut the door on SCC in the ninth. Freshman Ramses Guerra started on the mound for Cochise only lasting one inning and was relieved by Alejandro Vanegas. The Apaches collected nine hits in Game 2, Mason Wray and George Hogan each went 2 for 4. 

Up Next..

Cochise Baseball (24-14, 11-9) will head back on the road on Tuesday, March 26th to take on Phoenix College (15-18-1,8-12) for a noon doubleheader, and will host Paradise Valley (18-16,8-12) on Saturday, March 30th at Bo Hall field for another doubleheader at noon.