Aztecs Softball season comes to a close at the NJCAA Region I, Division I Tournament

The Pima Community College softball team closed out the 2023 season on Saturday at the NJCAA Region I, Division I Tournament.

• The No. 3 seeded Aztecs fell in an elimination game to No. 2 Central Arizona College 5-4 as the game ended in a walk-off RBI single for the Vaqueras.
• The Aztecs got on the scoreboard in the 3^rd inning when freshman Camila Zepeda (Tucson Magnet HS) hit a sacrifice-fly RBI to score sophomore Mia Casadei (Tanque Verde HS), who led off the inning with a walk.
• The Vaqueras scored two runs in the bottom-half of the 3^rd but the Aztecs quickly responded in the 4^th. Freshman Mallory Zylinski-Wrobel (Sahuarita HS) was hit by a pitch and sophomore Stephanie Tapia (Cibola HS) drew a walk with one out. Sophomore Alejandra Castro put the Aztecs back up 4-2 after she drove a three-run homer to left field bringing in Zylinski-Wrobel and Tapia.
• The Vaqueras strung together five straight hits in the 7^th inning to win it.
• Castro finished the game 1 for 3 with three RBIs while Zepeda went 1 for 3 with an RBI. Zylinski-Wrobel was 1 for 3 with a run scored and Casadei finished 1 for 1 with a run.
• Freshman Alexis Tsosie-Hood took the loss as she pitched six innings, giving up five runs (five earned) on 10 hits with one strikeout.
• "Losing to Central Arizona College twice this weekend was absolutely gut-wrenching and heartbreaking," Pima softball coach Rebekah Quiroz said. "We went toe-to-toe with the best and my team was as good as anyone there. I am so proud of the way we competed and fought till the end.
  This group and these sophomores were stellar from inning one amd I will go to war with them, and for them any day. I am so proud of my Aztecs and so grateful for my staff. We were three outs away from a championship (game) and we will carry this feeling with us into next fall."

The Aztecs close their season with a 36-24 overall record (most single season wins since 2017 when they went 38-21). They posted an ACCAC conference record of 31-17, which was also the most victories since 2017 (32-16).