Trejo and Corona Homer as Aztecs Softball Sweep Chandler-Gilbert on Sophomore Day
The Pima Community College softball team (45-17-1, 33-14-1 in ACCAC) closed out the regular season in dominating fashion on Saturday at the West Campus.
The No. 18 ranked Aztecs swept Chandler-Gilbert Community College (6-45, 6-42) in two mercy-rule games. Pima won 12 of their final 14 games and locked up the No. 2 seed for the Region I, Division II tournament.
Freshman Margarita Corona (Tucson Magnet HS) finished 3 for 6 with three RBIs and four runs scored while fellow freshman Courtney Brown (Flowing Wells HS) was 3 for 5 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
Game 1: Pima CC Aztecs 10, Chandler-Gilbert CC Coyotes 2 (5 innings)
The Aztecs broke open a scoreless game with nine runs in the second inning to pull away.
Brown and sophomore Christine Olivas (Hamilton HS) each drove in two runs with their hits. Corona capped it off with her 12th home run of the season; a three-run shot to make it 9-0. Sophomore Kalynn Martinez (Sunnyside HS) and freshman Gabriela Trejo (Desert View HS) each hit RBI singles in the inning. Freshman Bailey Critchlow hit an RBI double in the third inning.
Corona finished the game 2 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs scored while Critchlow went 2 for 2 with an RBI, a run scored and two doubles. Olivas was 1 for 2 with two RBIs and Brown finished 2 for 3 with two runs scored.
Sophomore Odalis Orduno (Desert View HS) won her eighth straight decision and improved to 22-7. She threw all five innings giving up two runs (two earned) on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
Game 2: Pima CC Aztecs 9, Chandler-Gilbert CC Coyotes 0 (5 innings)
The offense took over once again as the Aztecs scored three runs in the second inning, five in the third and one in the fourth to earn another mercy-rule victory.
Sophomore Morgan Engelhardt hit an RBI double to the left field fence to score Trejo. Brown followed with a sacrifice-fly RBI that plated Martinez and sophomore Araceli Peralta (Tucson Magnet HS) hit an RBI double to score Engelhardt. The Aztecs led 3-0.
Trejo hit a two-run homer in the third inning to make it 5-0. Engelhardt hit another RBI double while Brown and Critchlow drove in runs with their RBI singles.
Trejo finished the game 1 for 2 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Engelhardt went 2 for 2 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Brown was 1 for 2 with two RBIs and a run scored while Peralta went 1 for 2 with an RBI. Corona was 1 for 3 with two runs scored and a double.
Critchlow pitched four scoreless innings to pick up the win (18-8). She gave up two hits with two strikeouts and three walks.
Sophomores Engelhardt, Martinez, Olivas, Orduno, and Peralta were recognized after the final game.
The Aztecs, a No. 2 seed, will open the Region I, Division II tournament on Friday against No. 3 Glendale Community College at 10:00 a.m. All games in the double elimination tournament will be held at Phoenix College on Friday and Saturday.
Pima softball sophomores (left to right): Araceli Peralta, Odalis Orduno, Morgan Engelhardt, Kalynn Martinez and Christine Olivas/Photo by Raymond Suarez
