Mestas and Cornelius lead charge as Aztecs Baseball sweeps No. 16 South Mountain CC
The Pima Community College baseball team (14-5, 5-3 in ACCAC) picked up its first ACCAC conference sweep of the season as it took two from No. 16 ranked South Mountain Community College (16-6, 4-4).
Sophomore Gage Mestas finished the day 6 for 9 at the plate with four RBIs and three runs scored. Sophomore pitchers Jaeden Swanberg (Salpointe Catholic HS) and Matt Cornelius picked up the wins on the mound.
- Game 1: Pima CC Aztecs 10, (16) South Mountain CC Cougars 3: The Aztecs took the lead in the 3rd inning and padded it in the 5th.
Mestas went yard on the first pitch of the game. The Cougars tied it in the bottom half of the 1st. The Aztecs went up for good with two runs in the 3rd inning. Mestas and fellow sophomore Braedon Mondeau (Cienega HS) hit back-to-back RBI singles scoring sophomores Andrew Maxwell and Luis Garcia (Salpointe Catholic HS) respectively.
The Aztecs scored seven runs in the 5th inning. Sophomore Hunter Faildo hit a two-run RBI double to bring around Mestas and Mondeau. Freshman Brant Kragel had an RBI single in the inning and Mestas added an RBI double. The Aztecs scored three runs on South Mountain errors to go up 10-1.
Mestas finished the game 4 for 5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Mondeau went 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Faildo was 1 for 3 with two RBIs. Maxwell scored two runs and drew two walks. Garcia finished 1 for 4 with two runs.
Swanberg picked up the win (2-1) as he pitched four innings giving up three runs (three earned) on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks on 81 pitches.
PCC 1 0 2 0 7 0 0 10 9 0
SMCC 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 6 3
W – Swanberg (2-1). 2B: Garcia, Faildo, Mestas. HR: Mestas. SB: Garcia.
- Game 2: Pima CC Aztecs 3, (16) South Mountain CC Cougars 0: Cornelius picked up the win as he pitched six innings giving up two hits with six strikeouts and one walk on 93 pitches. Freshman J.T. Drake picked up his sixth save of the season after he pitched one innings giving up one hit with one strikeout.
The Aztecs scored three runs in the 3rd inning. Mestas hit an RBI single to score freshman Austin Madsen (Canyon del Oro HS), who led off the inning with a double. Mondeau gave Pima a cushion as he hit a two-run home run.
Mestas went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Mondeau was 1 for 3 with two RBIs and a run. Madsen finished 2 for 4 with a run scored.
PCC 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 1
SMCC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1
W – Cornelius (4-1). 2B: Faildo, Madsen. HR: Mondeau. SB: Madsen, Reeves.
The Aztecs will be back at the West Campus Aztec Field on Saturday when they host Eastern Arizona College. First game starts at noon.
