Cougars Fall Twice to Eastern Arizona

The South Mountain Community College softball team (5-9) lost a pair of Arizona Community College Athletic Conference home games to Eastern Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 29. The Cougars fell 10-6 and 8-0 in five innings to the Gila Monsters.

In game one, Eastern Arizona jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first before SMCC responded with two in the frame. The Gila Monsters would tack on four runs in the third and two in the fourth to threaten a run-rule victory.

However, the Cougars answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the game. South Mountain Community College held Eastern Arizona off the scoreboard in the sixth and seventh, but the final rally could only muster a run.

Ali Ashner went 3 for 4 with two home runs, a double, four RBIs and three runs scored. Julia Ruble smashed her team-leading fourth home run of the season while Destiny Apodaca recorded her fourth double of the year. Four other Cougars had a base hit in defeat.

Vanessa Gutierrez (4-6) took the loss in the circle.

Game two saw the Gila Monsters strike for two runs in the first and four in the sixth. They added two more runs in the top of the eighth and SMCC fell in five innings.

Adrianaly Morales-Correa went 2 for 2 with her second double of the season. Elisabeth Raby and Ashner had the other two hits for the Cougars.

Christian Smith threw all five innings for SMCC and had three strikeouts.

The Cougars continue their homestand with a busy slate of games. On Mar. 4, the Cougars host Benedictine University at 2 p.m. The next day, Mar. 5, SMCC welcomes Phoenix College for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Finally, the Cougars square off with Chandler-Gilbert Community College in a noon doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 7.