Big games from Shackelford, Gump and Cornelius as Aztecs Baseball sweeps Phoenix College

The Pima Community College baseball team (33-9, 20-6 in ACCAC) got back on the winning track on Tuesday as it swept Phoenix College (19-20, 8-16) at the West Campus Aztec Baseball Field part of the Chapman Automotive Sports Complex.
Freshman David Shackelford finished the day going 1 for 4 with five RBIs, three runs scored and three walks. Sophomore Rocco Gump (Seton Catholic HS) closed out his day going 4 for 6 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Sophomore Matt Cornelius threw six-plus innings in a shutout outing.

• Game 1: (19) Pima CC Aztecs 8, Phoenix College Bears 4: The Aztecs rallied in the 3^rd inning to take the lead for good.
  Down 3-2, the Aztecs loaded the bases with one out and Shackelford hit a grand slam to put them up 6-3.
  The Bears got a run back in the 4^th but Gump hit an RBI single in the 5^th inning and sophomore Hunter Faildo scored on a balk in the 6^th.
  Shackelford finished the game 1 for 4 with four RBIs and a run scored while Gump went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Faildo hit an RBI single in the 1^st inning and was 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run. Sophomores Luis Garcia (Salpointe Catholic HS) and Andrew Stucky (Canyon del Oro HS) each went 1 for 3 with a run scored.
  Sophomore Jaeden Swanberg (Salpointe Catholic HS) picked up the win (4-2) as he pitched five innings, giving up four runs (four earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts on 72 pitches. Freshman J.T. Drake picked up his 11^th save of the season after pitching the final two innings, giving up two hits with two strikeouts.

PC     0 2 1 1 0 0 0   4  9  1
PCC  2 0 4 0 1 1 x   8 11 2

W – Swanberg (4-2). 2B: Faildo, Stucky. GS: Shackelford.

• Game 2: Pima CC Aztecs 13, Phoenix College Bears 1 (7 innings): Cornelius kept the Bears' bats in check as he got the win (9-1), after going six and one-third innings, giving up two hits with six strikeouts and one walk on 77 pitches.
  The Aztecs poured it on in the 5^th inning as they scored seven runs. Freshman Sterling Albrand (Millennium HS) hit a two-run RBI double to drive in freshman Ruben Castro (Tucson Magnet HS) and Shackelford to make it 7-0. Gump followed with a two-run RBI single, scoring freshman Elijah Reeves (Marana HS) and Albrand. Stucky and Faildo followed with back-to-back RBI hits in the inning.
  Albrand closed out the game going 1 for 3 with four RBIs while Gump went 2 for 3 with three RBIs and a run. Freshman Benji Cazares (Tucson Magnet HS) hit an RBI double in the 3rd inning and was 1 for 3 with an RBI and two runs in the game. Shackelford scored two runs and drew three walks. He also had a bases loaded walk RBI in the 2^nd inning. Castro finished 3 for 4 with two runs.

PC     0 0 0 0 0 0 1    1  3 2
PCC  0 2 2 0 7 2 x   13 9 3

W – Cornelius (9-1). 2B: Albrand, K. Castro, Cazares, Stucky.

The Aztecs will play at No. 2 Central Arizona College on Saturday in a battle between the top two teams in the ACCAC conference. First game of the doubleheader starts at noon.