Cruz Hits Two Home Runs as Aztecs Baseball Splits with South Mountain

The Pima Community College baseball team (22-14, 10-12 in ACCAC) took the first game of the ACCAC doubleheader on Saturday against South Mountain Community College (22-13, 7-8) but finished the day with a split.

Sophomores Al Cruz (Nogales HS) and Jacob Northrup (Sahuaro HS) set the tone for the offense and freshman pitcher Andres Hackman (Empire HS) remained undefeated.

Game 1: Pima CC Aztecs 12, South Mountain CC Cougars 2 (5 innings)

Freshman Anthony Felix (Canyon del Oro HS) scored on a passed ball in the fifth inning to seal the mercy-rule win.

Cruz hit a two-run home run with no outs in the third inning to score fellow sophomore Marcus Catalano (Salpointe Catholic HS). That made it 7-0. He hit his second two-run homer in the fourth inning which again plated Catalano to make it 11-0.

Northrup put the Aztecs on the board with his two-run shot in the second inning that scored freshman Oscar Larranaga (Sunnyside HS).

Cruz finished the game 2 for 3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Northrup was 1 for 2 with two RBIs and a run scored. Catalano went 2 for 3 with a two-run RBI double in the fourth inning. He also scored two runs. Felix and sophomore Ryan Ramsower (Salpointe Catholic HS) each went 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

Hackman improved to 6-0 on the season after he pitched five innings giving up two runs (two earned) on four hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

Game 2: South Mountain CC Cougars 10, Pima CC Aztecs 4

The Aztecs surrendered eight runs in the eighth inning which broke up a tie game. The Aztecs countered with two runs in the bottom-half of the eighth but that's as close as they'd get.

Sophomore Ivan Estrella (Tucson Magnet HS) drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game at 1-1 in the second inning. Ramsower hit a sacrifice-fly RBI to tie it at 2-2 in the fifth. Catalano and sophomore Hunter Green (Sahuaro HS) hit RBI singles in the eighth inning.

Catalano finished the game 2 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored while Green went 1 for 2 with an RBI. Estrella was 1 for 3 with an RBI and two walks.

Freshman pitcher Miguel Figueroa (Tucson Magnet HS) took the loss and dropped to 5-5 on the season. He pitched seven innings giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks. The bullpen pitched two innings giving up six runs.

The Aztecs will play an ACCAC doubleheader at Eastern Arizona College on Tuesday. The games will be at noon and 2:30 p.m.

Al Cruz/Photo by Ben Carbajal